Index
- New requirements for libraries in 2008 as part of Act 420
- Information database promotional fliers available free of charge
- ‘Speak Up for Your Library’ cards available; online registration encouraged
- Member/Staff News
- Nelson shares suggestions for reaching out to community leaders
- Changes to TeachingBooks.net
- AskAway newsletter available online
- Continuing Education Calendar
New requirements for libraries in 2008 as part of Act 420
Libraries should have received their payments from adjacent counties, by March 1, if you sent those counties a statement of how much they owed your library. As you know, this was part of the changes that Act 420 made to Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 43. Another change that took place at the same time was the requirement that the library director’s schedule include their presence in the library for a minimum of 10 hours per week when the library is open to the public.
Other changes were part of the Act, but they didn’t take effect until 2008. That’s this year! Most SCLS libraries were already in compliance with these.
- A public library must be open to the public a minimum annual average of 20 hours per week by the end of the year 2008.
- Libraries may be open less than 20 hours per week, as long as they are open at least as many hours as they were open in 2005.
- A public library must spend at least $2,500 on library materials annually.
If you have questions about the requirements of Act 420, you can visit www.scls.info/management/cross/, or contact Cheryl Becker.
Information database promotional fliers available free of charge
SCLS recently posted web pages that constitute a new interface to the various online information databases available to librarians and patrons alike. The goal of the redesign is to better help library users find the information they seek, and six printed fliers are available free of charge to promote this new interface.
The new web pages, and the supporting promotional fliers, feature sample questions intended to help users find the resource(s) that will best answer their questions. We’ve created six general categories, from which we direct users to databases with the information they seek. The categories, and their direct URLs, are as follows.
- Business -- www.scls.info/business/
- Consumers -- www.scls.info/consumers/
- Genealogy -- www.scls.info/genealogy/
- Readers -- www.scls.info/readers/
- Students and Teachers -- www.scls.info/education/
- Wellness & Health -- www.scls.info/wellness/
To order your free fliers, contact Mark Ibach and let him know how many of each you’d like. You can view PDFs of the fliers at www.scls.info/pr/databases/. The fliers and web pages are the work of PLAC’s Marketing & PR Advisory Committee.
Another relatively new online resource is LearningExpress Library (www.scls.info/testprep/), a comprehensive, interactive online learning platform of practice tests and tutorial course series designed to help library users -- students and adult learners -- succeed on the academic or licensing tests they must pass. Users of this resource get immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and an individualized analysis of their results.
To help publicize this resource in your community, we have promotional materials that are available free of charge. These can be viewed at www.scls.info/pr/lel/, and you should make your print requests by contacting Mark Ibach.
‘Speak Up for Your Library’ cards available; online registration encouraged
Nearly 1,700 patrons have signed up for the South Central Library System’s “Speak Up for Your Library” campaign, demonstrating their willingness to support libraries through action.
As we approach mid-year and a new budget cycle, it’s a good time to re-emphasize this program and encourage patrons to speak up. And now it’s easier than ever, thanks to our online registration form available at www.scls.info/pr/speak_up/. Libraries are encouraged to put a link to this page on their websites, and a small “Speak Up For Your Library” logo is available for that purpose.
We ask that you prominently display the posters and cards, and contact us if you need more (we’ll print them at no cost to you). Simply collect the cards at your library and return them to Mark Ibach at SCLS through Delivery, or link to the online registration form at www.scls.info/pr/speak_up/. You can also view PDF samples of the new poster, registration cards, and bookmarks.
If you have questions about this ongoing campaign, or need more printed materials, contact Mark Ibach.
The LINK minutes and handouts from the April 10 meeting are now available at http://automation.scls.lib.wi.us/committee/link/2008/index.html. The next meeting is scheduled for June 12 at 10 a.m. at Middleton Public Library.
Brian Simons, currently director at Delavan's Aram Public Library, has been selected as Verona's director. His first day is June 16.
Nelson shares suggestions for reaching out to community leaders
In preparation for his portion of a panel presentation for the Library Council of Southeastern Wisconsin, Middleton Public Library Director Paul Nelson recently shared the following suggestions for reaching out to community leaders.
To begin with, he implemented a one-on-one "meet-and-greet" game plan when he started at Middleton in 1986. He said he wanted certain people in the community to know him by name, not just as the generic “new library director.” All told, Paul said he met with more than 20 local and county officials as well as current library board members that June, and felt it was well worth the time and effort.
Since 1987, his April calendar has always included the following activities.
- Meet individually with the newly elected members of the Middleton City Council at the library for a tour and a discussion of library and city issues. In addition to sharing the library's story, he said he likes to get a sense of what issues encouraged them to run for office.
- Meet individually with the newly elected members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors (those whose districts include Middleton's service area) at the library for a tour and a discussion of library and county issues.
- Provide an individual orientation session for newly-appointed library board members prior to their first meeting. At this time he reviews the contents of an informational notebook he’s prepared for them.
In addition, Paul said the library annually invites the mayor, city administrator, and members of the city council to the December board meeting. He said had they not been doing this, he doubts if the finance committee and council would have approved the library's remodeling and expansion project in 2002.
“There are a variety of ingredients to a library's success -- staff with an unwavering service orientation, a community that is vocal in its support -- but I feel that bringing decision-makers into the fold has been an equally important factor in Middleton's success,” Paul said. “It is time well spent.”
For those of you who use TeachingBooks.net, you may be interested in some recent and upcoming changes. Visit http://teachingbooks.net/relaunch for details, or http://teachingbooks.net/archive/relaunch to view a recorded webinar about the changes.
Some of the changes available now include keyword searching, genre searching, additional resources, and original content (such as "meet the author" movies).
Additional enhancements are planned for the fall.
AskAway newsletter available online
As you try to promote the use of AskAway among the residents in your community, keep in mind that there are a number of resources at your disposal. One of which is an AskAway newsletter available at http://askaway.pbwiki.com/Newsletter. The newsletter is a good forum for learning more about the statewide service, and for finding links to support you in your efforts.
And don’t forget the AskAway YouTube video contest, the deadline for which is July 31, 2008. The contest is open to teens and young adults, ages 13-18, and contest entry information is available at http://askaway.pbwiki.com/YouTube+Contest+Entry+Page.
If you’d like some free AskAway promotional materials, please contact Mark Ibach. We have a supply of magnets, pencils, bookmarks, and buttons (for staff) that are available on a first-come, first-served basis.