Index
- System Celebration 2009 will be held Sept. 24
- Member/Staff News
- Remember to register for SCLS Annual Meeting
- Submit requests for reimbursement from adjacent counties by July 1
- Portage Public Library seeks new director
- MALC scholarship deadline is March 31
- Career Library from EBSCO is available for SCLS
- Enter the 2009 ‘I Love AskAway’ contest
- LSTA meeting and public hearing scheduled April 8 & 9
- Beloit Public Library offers furniture, shelving
- WPR to air 4-part series called ‘Future Perfect’
- Friends of UW-Madison Libraries to host used book sale
- Library coverage in US News and World Report
- ALA/NLM traveling exhibit explores Harry Potter’s world
- WPA announces homeschooling conference May 1 & 2
- Continuing Education Calendar
System Celebration 2009 will be held Sept. 24
Planning is underway for System Celebration 2009, which will be held Thursday, Sept. 24, at Windsor Golf Club just northwest of Madison near the intersection of I-90/94 and Highway 19.
We’ve made some changes in this year’s process, and the SCLS Advocacy Committee is now responsible for planning the annual event. We’ve also eliminated two of the award categories (those for county and SCLS trustees), but at the same time we’ve expanded the special category to allow for the recognition of exemplary efforts on the part of trustees.
Nominations are being accepted for the annual awards listed below, so visit www.scls.info/about/systemceleb/ and click on the award name to access the online form (all nominations must be submitted online). The deadline for nominations is June 15, 2009. These awards are selected by SCLS staff, and approved by the Advocacy Committee, but suggestions and formal nominations from the SCLS community are welcome.
The 2009 awards are:
- Library of the Year Award -- Recognizes a public and/or multitype library for its innovative user service(s). You may nominate your own library or any other library of any type that you think deserves the award. The library will be recognized with a certificate and a check for $200 (if one award is given) or $150 each (if both a public and multitype award are given.)
- Public Official Award -- Recognizes the outstanding contributions to a library or libraries by a mayor, village president, city administrator, supportive council member, legislator, or any other public official who does not serve as a library trustee and whom you feel should be recognized.
- Special Award -- Recognizes an individual or group that has worked to promote and/or improve library services. Individuals may be a resident, a trustee or a library friend (does not have to be a member of an official Friends group). This award is NOT for a library, librarian, or public official.
- Chester Pismo Snavely Award for a Nifty Activity -- Recognizes a library, other organization, or persons' out-of-the-ordinary nifty library activity or service.
- Partnership Award -- The SCLS Partnership Award is presented each year to a community organization, agency or business that works with the South Central Library System or its member libraries to provide new and innovative library programs and services. In some cases, a member library may also be acknowledged in conjunction with the community partner.
The photo at right is the cover ALA created for the book "Moving Materials: Physical Delivery in Libraries" that Delivery Operations Manager Bruce Smith wrote/edited with the director from Colorado, Valerie Horton. ALA has indicated that it will highlight the book in its spring/summer catalog and it should be out sometime before the ALA conference in July.
Madison Public Library’s Alice Oakey was promoted from youth services library assistant to Supervising Librarian at the Meadowridge Branch. MPL also recently welcomed new Page 2 staff members Brian Stovall (Hawthorne Branch) and Stacy Anderson (Central).
Susan Kosharek has joined the staff of the Oregon Public Library as the new Reference and Adult Services Librarian. She is also a member of the management team. “Everyone is looking forward to her professional contributions and excellent reference skills,” said Director Susan Santner. “Please welcome her to our SCLS library community.”
Remember to register for SCLS Annual Meeting
The SCLS Annual Meeting will be held April 17, 2009, at Spring Brook Resort in Wisconsin Dells, and registration is now open at www.scls.info/about/annualmeeting/. You also can access the meeting agenda at this URL.
The theme for this year's meeting is "Customer Service: Putting the Pieces Together," and the featured speaker will be Donelle Hintermeister, a professional trainer with experience in manufacturing, health care, schools, retail, service, non-for-profits, and government. As part of her presentation, Donelle will lead audience participation activities on the theme.
Submit requests for reimbursement from adjacent counties by July 1
On March 17 information about requesting reimbursement from adjacent counties was sent via email to directors of all eligible SCLS member libraries. To receive reimbursement from adjacent counties by March 1, 2010, you must provide the following information to the clerks of those counties by July 1, 2009 (all are available in your state annual report):
- the number of loans in 2008 from your library to residents of that county, who live outside municipalities with libraries;
- your library’s total 2008 circulation; and
- your library’s total 2008 operating expenditures (excluding any expenditures paid with federal funds).
Statements requesting reimbursement must be sent to the county clerks of adjacent counties by July 1, 2009. More information is available at www.scls.info/management/cross/index.html.
If you did not receive any information about payment to your library, and your library is not listed at www.scls.info/management/cross/documents/08amountsweb.xls, your library not entitled to reimbursement.
If you have any questions about reimbursements from adjacent counties, contact Cheryl Becker.
Portage Public Library seeks new director
The Portage Public Library Board seeks candidates for a new director, due to the upcoming retirement of Director Hans Jensen.
The ideal candidate will have prior management experience, dynamic communications skills, knowledge of total library operations including budgeting, grant writing, planning, collection development, technology, personnel, and property management, and the ability to motivate staff. These qualities are important since the Library is in the planning process for building expansion and technological upgrades.
Minimum qualifications: ALA accredited MLS/MLIS certification and six plus years of library related experience required. Experience at Director level preferred. Must be eligible for State of Wisconsin Grade I Public Librarian Certification. The starting salary is $46,539+, depending on qualifications. Area residency required after six months.
For consideration, please submit: a cover letter, resume, credentials, and completed application with three professional references. An application and complete job description may be requested from the Library by calling (608) 742-4959. Send application to: Search Committee, Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater Street, Portage, WI 53901.
MALC scholarship deadline is March 31
Recognizing the importance of professional development opportunities for its membership, MALC annually sponsors two scholarships that provide funds for non-public library staff to attend library-related educational programs and conferences. These awards can be used to meet the expenses associated with meetings, workshops, courses, conferences or other activities that promote professional growth.
You can get more information, and download the application form, at www.scls.info/malc/services.html. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2009.
Career Library from EBSCO is available for SCLS
Career Library is a comprehensive information resource for career and college research. EBSCO has provided SCLS with a one year free trial, and the database is now available from the “Online Resources by Name” page at www.scls.info/resources/name.html. Select EBSCOHost, then click on the link for "Coin Career Library (CCL)."
Career Library consists of five major components.
- Exploration Center helps users assess career interests and higher education. It Includes occupation search, financial aid information, college search, state specific data, and more.
- Planning Center provides resources to assist with entering higher education or the workforce. It includes resume builder, college and career planning checklists, and more.
- Resource Center provides such items as web resources, “cool jobs,” articles, and state-specific data.
- Help Center has handouts for students and parents, help files, FAQs, and more.
- Activity Center lets users test knowledge on history, vocabulary, math, English, and occupations. It includes interactive quizzes, online polls, sample tests, and more.
With the recent economic downturn, member libraries may be serving many users who are searching for new jobs or careers, updating their resumes, or returning to school to improve their employment marketability. The availability of Career Library should prove a helpful resource for these, and other, users.
Enter the 2009 ‘I Love AskAway’ contest
Wisconsin residents are encouraged to share their positive experiences by creating videos, posters, bookmarks, presentations, or other promotional ideas as part of the “I Love AskAway” contest for 2009.
This year’s competition is open to anyone who uses AskAway, and entries should be original works that show why AskAway is important to you. For example, entries may want to share stories about how you used AskAway to answer a particularly difficult question. Or perhaps you used the resource to get information on a family member’s illness, or used it to research a school project. The entries will be judged on the quality of their ideas and concepts. The competition is open to all ages, and all entries must be submitted by April 15, 2009.
First prize is a $150 Best Buy gift certificate and second prize is a $75 Best Buy gift certificate. Contest winners will be announced the week of April 21-24, 2009. For contest rules, a sample press release to promote the competition locally, and other contest information, visit the “I Love Askaway – 2009” wiki.
LSTA meeting and public hearing scheduled April 8 & 9
Wisconsin's LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) Advisory Committee will meet in Madison on Wednesday and Thursday, April 8 and 9, at the Crowne Plaza, 4402 East Washington Avenue, Madison, to discuss grant proposals and make award recommendations for LSTA projects to take place in 2010.
As part of the meeting, there will be a public hearing beginning at 1 p.m. on April 8 for interested persons to make suggestions on the LSTA program for 2010. Final guidelines for the 2010 LSTA program will be developed in March 2010. If you are unable to attend the public hearing, written comments may be submitted by letter, fax, or e-mail to Terrie Howe, P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841; fax (608) 266-2529. Testimony must arrive by 4 p.m. on April 7 for inclusion in the hearing.
--from Channel Weekly (Volume 11, Number 22 – March 5, 2009)
Beloit Public Library offers furniture, shelving
The Beloit Public Library will soon be moving to its new building, and in preparation staff have compiled an inventory of the furniture and shelving they won’t be taking with them to the new location. These items, which are being offered to other libraries, include:
- metal and wood book shelving and storage shelving
- office desks and chairs
- desk carrels
- drop-in monitor computer desks
- book cases
- lounge chairs
- study tables
- and much, much more…
If you are interested in these or other items, contact Jeni Schomber, Head of Youth Services/Public Relations, at (608) 364-5754, who can e-mail you a complete inventory list. The library has several items in storage, and these can be picked up now. Those items currently being used by staff and the public must be picked up during the week of April 13-17.
WPR to air 4-part series called ‘Future Perfect’
Future Perfect: Dreamers, Schemers & Visionaries -- a four part series from To the Best of Our Knowledge on Wisconsin Public Radio -- begins airing March 21, 2009. These programs can be heard Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. on the NPR News & Classical Music Network of WPR and Sundays at Noon on the Ideas Network of WPR. They can also be heard at any time via RealAudio streaming or as mp3 files online at www.wpr.org/book/visionaries/.
- Part One: Our Computers will air March 21 & 22 -- Imagine a poor child in Uruguay. Now imagine giving that young girl a hundred-dollar laptop computer. Imagine the educational opportunities that this laptop will provide this child. Nicholas Negroponte has this very vision and he's making it a reality throughout the developing world. We'll meet Negroponte next time on "Our Computers. Also, a video game that makes you cry.
- Part Two: Our Money will air March 28 & 29 -- It’s not hard to see why economics is called “the dismal science” – after we were blind-sided by the worst financial meltdown in decades. But economics does have its visionaries, like Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman...and fellow Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who’s started a new kind of bank that lends money to the very poor. Then there’s Jeffrey Sachs, who’s working to build a sustainable future in developing countries. And for some hands-on economic lessons in Afghanistan, meet “Three Cups of Tea” author Greg Mortensen. We’ll talk with them all next time.
- Part Three: Our Earth will air April 4 & 5 -- Our environment is in trouble. It’s not hard to imagine global catastrophe as problems like climate change and overpopulation take their toll. But there’s always hope, and this hour we’ll introduce you to the visionaries who are making a difference. Like Wangari Maathai, who won a Noble Peace Prize for her extraordinary efforts to plant trees in Kenya, and Geir Haarde, the President of Iceland, whose country is now running on over 80 percent green energy.
- Part Four: Our Peace of Mind will air April 11 & 12 -- The happiness industry is booming. And with good reason -- everyone is wants to be happy. Today, science can light the way. Brain researcher Richard Davidson can sum it up quickly: learn to meditate. Davidson’s research studying the brains of longtime Buddhist monks has discovered that most of the time, the brain that meditates is a happy brain. And a Harvard-trained neuro-scientist finds nirvana in the devastation of a stroke.
Friends of UW-Madison Libraries to host used book sale
More than 15,000 books, as well as CDs, DVDs, and LP records will go on sale March 25-28, 2009, during Wisconsin's largest used book sale taking place in 116 Memorial Library, 728 State St. in Madison. The sale, sponsored by the Friends of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, draws buyers from throughout the Midwest. Books for the sale are donated by UW–Madison faculty, staff, students, and area residents.
Among the subjects covered are American studies, fiction, foreign languages, cooking, physical and biological sciences, political science, law, fine arts, reference, business, social sciences, philosophy, women's studies, and history. There are also travel guides, maps, and assorted periodicals. Special collections on sale include English literature, children's books, history of science, astronomy, drama, and African American studies.
The sale helps fund special purchases for the university’s many library collections, grants to campus libraries, a visiting scholar support program, and an annual lecture series. Sales are open to the public, and hours are:
- Preview Sale ($5 admission): Wednesday, March 25, 5-9 p.m.
- Regular Sale (no admission fee): Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27, 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
- $3-a-Bag-Sale: Saturday, March 28, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Visitors can bring a grocery-sized bag and fill it for $3 (or buy a bag for $1 at the sale).
For more information, visit the Friends Book Sale web page at www.library.wisc.edu/friends/book-sales.html, or contact the Friends at (608) 265-2505.
Library coverage in US News and World Report
The latest post over at the Professor's Guide blog (http://www.usnews.com/blogs/professors-guide) on US News and World Report features “10 Tips on Getting the Most Out of your Library.” Geared for high school/college students and their parents, it is something you can point to for incoming first-year/freshmen, etc.
ALA/NLM traveling exhibit explores Harry Potter’s world
The ALA Public Programs Office, in cooperation with the National Library of Medicine (NLM), recently announced a new small format traveling exhibition to libraries, “Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine.” Public, academic (university, college and community college) and medical libraries may apply to host the banner exhibition by downloading an application at www.ala.org/harrypotter. To be considered, applications must be received at ALA by May 1, 2009.
Using materials from the NLM’s History of Medicine collections, the exhibition explores Harry Potter’s world, its roots in Renaissance science and the ethical questions that affected not only the wizards in J.K. Rowling’s books, but also the historical thinkers featured in the series. Exhibition panels feature the works of 15th- and 16th-century alchemists, naturalists and occultists, and explore the intersection between the Harry Potter novels and Renaissance thinkers, lore and practices. More information about the exhibit, including educational resources, is available at www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/harrypottersworld/index.html.
Following the application process, 12 libraries will be selected to host the exhibition for a four-week display period between September 2009 and November 2010. All libraries on the tour will be expected to pay for incoming shipping for the exhibition, which will range from $250 to $450, depending on the distance between sites. The exhibition is composed of six fabric panels mounted on self-supporting stands and measuring 7 ft. high x 3 ft. wide x 15 in deep; panels are printed only on one side. It requires 30 linear feet of space, or 300-400 square feet. For more information on “Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine,” or to obtain an application, visit www.ala.org/harrypotter, or contact the ALA Public Programs Office.
WPA announces homeschooling conference May 1 & 2
The 26th annual Wisconsin Parents Association Annual Conference & Curriculum Fair will be held May 1-2 at UW-Oshkosh. It is planned around the theme “Homeschooling: A Family’s Investment.” More information, including a registration link, is available at www.homeschooling-wpa.org/conference/.
Libraries can request promotional posters and fliers by sending an email to [email protected], or calling (608) 283-3131.