Index
- Help select discussion topics for May 7 SCLS Annual Meeting
- Arbuthnot Lecture video archive available
- Member/Staff News
- Systemwide database survey results
- System Celebration Award Nomination deadline is April 30
- GVRL interest survey now available
- GreenFILE is new free offering from EBSCO
- Legislative Audit Bureau releases ‘best practices’ report on libraries
- $300 grants available for writers and illustrators
- Article offers tips for greener computing
- Continuing Education Calendar
Help select discussion topics for May 7 SCLS Annual Meeting
The SCLS Annual Meeting is only several weeks away (Wednesday, May 7, at the UW-Madison Arboretum Visitors Center), but it’s not too late to submit your registration. You can do so at www.scls.info/about/annualmeeting/.
During the afternoon there will be small-group discussions on a variety of topics, and we're excited to share the list of potential topics with you. What topics will be discussed will depend on your vote (if you're attending the meeting). For those of you who have already registered, you'll receive a separate email asking for your discussion topic preferences. For those of you who haven't registered yet, you'll get the opportunity to choose topics at the time of registration.
Thanks, and we're looking forward to seeing many of you on May 7.
Possible Discussion Topics
- Changing AV Formats -- The world of AV is changing, with the addition of new physical formats (Playaways, Blu-Ray) and with the continued growth of downloadable content. What are the implications for libraries, now and into the future? Where will we be with these new formats in 5 years? In 10 years?
- Engaging Citizens in Support Roles -- Libraries use citizens in many roles: as volunteers, as board members, as Friends, as foundation members. How can libraries make these citizens engaged and active participants? How can we keep people engaged in this busy world where less time is available for civic participation? Should our structures and expectations change?
- Implications of a Self-Service World -- Self-service is becoming part of everyday life, from paying bills online to checking out at Home Depot. Some libraries have already begun adapting to this trend with self-checkout and self-service holds. Where will libraries go with this trend? Can (and should) other services become more self-service? What does this mean for relationships with the community?
- To Retail or Not to Retail -- Are the people who come into our libraries "patrons" or "customers" or something else? Should we be open retail hours? Should we adopt more retail models of customer service? What is the "experience" people should have in the library? Is it a retail experience? Or something else?
- Fear of Change Support Group -- Constant change is a given in our world, which can be a scary thing. What makes it frightening? How can we create work environments that embrace and encourage change? In this discussion, we'll share our fears and work together to find strategies to deal with them.
- Adopting New Community Roles -- Libraries are beginning to play new roles in their communities. Citizens need help with everything from job applications to e-government applications to referrals to social service agencies. How do we cope with these growing demands while maintaining traditional services? How do we define our roles? How do we set boundaries to keep ourselves from crossing into other social service roles?
- Programming Idea Exchange -- Had some great programs this year? Looking for more ideas? Come share your successes and learn about other successful programs.
- Engaging Teens in the Library -- You've got a group of teens in the library, but you're not sure how to cope with them. How can you engage teens in library services? What programming works? Are there ways to get them more actively involved?
- Staffing for the Future -- What should a library staff look like in a year? 5 years? 10 years? What are the skills they need to have? How will they develop these skills? What do they need beyond skills?
- Green Idea Exchange -- What are you doing to "reduce, recycle, reuse" in your library? Are you recycling, saving energy, disposing of unwanted library materials differently, or something else? Share ideas with others, and get some new ideas yourself.
Arbuthnot Lecture video archive available
Last week’s 2008 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture with David Macaulay was a rousing success, and if you missed the event, or just want to hear Macaulay again, you can do so by visiting www.scls.info/arbuthnot08/ and clicking on the “Video Archive” link.
The lecture will be available online for one year, and up to 10 connections can view it simultaneously. Installation of a browser plug-in may be required (you’ll be prompted if it’s needed), so if you’re on a LINK computer you will need to contact the SCLS Help Desk at (608) 266-6394.
Member/Staff NewsAs part of the Visioning Summit conducted by the Council on Libraries and Network Development (COLAND), SCLS Delivery Operations Manager Bruce Smith prepared and submitted a paper on statewide delivery. It is available at www.scls.info/committees/scls/board/deliverypaper.pdf.
The City of Fitchburg is in the process of hiring an Interim Library Director, who will assist the board and city in the planning efforts associated with funding and designing library services and facilities. More information is available at http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/human_resources/Librarian.php.
Steve Meyer and Sue Dentinger, both of the Library Technology Group, were named the 2008 Librarians of the Year by their peers in the UW-Madison Librarians’ Assembly. The awards, created in 1989, acknowledge exceptional contributions to the libraries. Two Librarian of the Year awards are given to unclassified staff members each spring to honor their contributions to the General Library System (GLS). Meyer received the award for those with less than 10 years of service to the GLS; Dentinger was selected from among those with 10 years or more of service. A complete story on the awards will appear in the next issue of Libraries@UW-Madison.
Job burnout happens in all professions, but there are ways to overcome what can become a debilitating fact of life. To learn more, read the article “Running on Empty: Dealing with Burnout in the Library Setting” at The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center website.
Systemwide database survey results
In March, many of you completed a survey to help determine the roster of systemwide databases.
The results have been tabulated, and the following databases will continue to be available systemwide in 2009, and all SCLS member libraries will continue to participate in the cost-sharing model.
- Ancestry Library
- Heritage Quest
- LearningExpress Library
- NoveList
Literature Resource Center (LRC) also will continue to be available systemwide because enough libraries will continue to pay so that SCLS can pick up the small cost difference.
We currently are negotiating the cost of making RefUSA Business available only to those 29 libraries that voted to continue to pay for it. Those libraries will be notified soon about their projected 2009 costs.
System Celebration Award Nomination deadline is April 30
System Celebration 2008 is still many months away, but the deadline for award nominations is next Wednesday, April 30.
System Celebration 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, and our awards are an important component of that recognition. Awards include Library of the Year, Trustee of the Year, Public Official, Special, Partnership, and the Snavely Award for a Nifty Activity. So far, we have received very few nominations.
Award nominations -- which may be made by library staff, trustees, Friends, citizens, etc. -- can be submitted at www.scls.info/about/systemceleb/. All nominations must be made using the online forms. Please be sure to share this information with board members and others who may not have received this information via email.
This year’s System Celebration will be held Sept. 25 at Devil's Head Resort & Convention Center in Merrimac.
GVRL interest survey now available
Since February (and through June) SCLS has had access to a pilot project of the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL), a database that contains the full text of common reference books. It is available to you and your patrons from the Online Resources page at www.scls.info/resources/name.html.
As promised in February, GVRL will go away at the end of June unless there is enough interest, and money, to continue. We announced that in April we’d surveying you about your input, and your library's commitment. That survey is now available online at www.scls.info/pro/, under "Online Resources." As you know, a password is required for this page.
Please complete the survey by May 2, 2008. If you have questions, contact Cheryl Becker.
GreenFILE is new free offering from EBSCO
Some time ago, we reported that EBSCO Publishing began providing the Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database as a free resource to anyone interested in libraries and information management. This resource covers subjects such as librarianship, classification, cataloging, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information management and more. It includes abstracts only, not full text of articles, and coverage extends back to the mid-1960s.
EBSCO Publishing recently announced the release of another freely available database called GreenFILE. It is a bibliographic database of information about environmental concerns and indexes scholarly and general interest titles, as well as government documents and reports. This resource offers a unique perspective on the positive and negative ways humans affect the environment. Topics include global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. Some articles are available full text.
LISTA and GreenFILE are available through EBSCOHost via the SCLS “Online Resources by Name” page.
Legislative Audit Bureau releases ‘best practices’ report on libraries
Librarians statewide were interviewed recently for a report by the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) titled “Best Practices Review: Public Library Services.”
Wisconsin has 388 public libraries, which are funded primarily with municipal and county taxes, and 17 regional library systems supported by state aid. Through surveys and interviews with the directors of individual libraries and all regional library systems, the LAB identified best practices related to collaboration among systems, effectively using volunteers, securing adequate technology support, and periodically assessing patron needs.
A summary and the full report can be found at www.legis.wisconsin.gov/lab. For additional information, contact Paul Stuiber.
$300 grants available for writers and illustrators
Using grants awarded by the Wisconsin Center for the Book, communities can celebrate and explore the literature of Wisconsin with its authors and illustrators. The Wisconsin Center for the Book will award up to four grants of $300 each to qualifying organizations wishing to sponsor a Wisconsin author or illustrator at a public event. The event must be open to the public and free of charge. The grants are made possible through the cooperation of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters and generosity of donors.
Wisconsin nonprofit organizations interested in books and reading are eligible to apply, and collaboration among groups is preferred. Such groups may include, but are not limited to, public libraries; public and private elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools; community organizations; and places of worship. Libraries are encouraged to look beyond their Friends groups for partnerships.
Applications and more information may be obtained at www.wisconsinacademy.org. The application deadline is July 1, 2008. More information also may be obtained by contacting Sarah McGowan, WAIS 2008-09 Chair, at (920) 748-2784.
Article offers tips for greener computing
Saving energy is on everyone’s mind these days, and libraries are always looking for ways to stretch limited budgets. A recent article in ComputerWorld, in honor of Earth Day, offers tips for greener computing.
Read the complete article online at www.computerworld.com.