- SCLS has Ed2Go classes available for libraries
- Be sure to ask for new ‘Speak Up for Your Library’ cards
- Member/Staff News
- PLAC revises database cost sharing
- BadgerLink‘s lunchtime webinar series…BadgerLunch
- Open meeting seminar scheduled Oct. 9 in Monona
- CCBC Shorts -- a new webinar
- Weekly Onion distribution offered by Delivery
- Online vendors make influenza information available
- PLA awards applications now available online
- Ideas sought for the 2011 Summer Library Program manuals
- IMLS grant will help libraries help the unemployed
- Library Journal hosts fundraising summit for directors
- Celebrate National Friends of Libraries Week Oct. 18-24
- Apply today for the We the People Bookshelf
- Library Journal to recognize ‘Best Small Library’
- Grant Information
- Continuing Education Calendar
SCLS has Ed2Go classes available for libraries
SCLS purchased a block of Ed2Go classes earlier this year in anticipation of our migration from Office 2003 to Office 2007, and we have a few left over that are now being offered to member library staff.
The Ed2Go classes have a live instructor and a six-week curriculum with a specific start and end date. Students join a real class and interact with their instructor and other students during the course of the six weeks, earning a certificate of completion at the end of the course (good for 12 CE hours). Take a look at the course offerings on the SLIS site, and be aware that SLIS only lists the most frequently requested courses in their catalog. To see the whole catalog, just delete the "uwslis" part off the URL above (www.ed2go.com), go to the "Course Catalog" and take a look at the classes available.
Normally, the Ed2Go classes cost $89 but since SCLS purchased a block of classes the cost is $75. The cost of these classes will be deducted from your available CE grant funds. If you or your staff are interested in taking any of these classes, contact Jean Anderson, CE Coordinator, and she’ll send you the registration instructions. Also, please complete and submit the CE Grant application form (or have your interested staff member complete it). The next group of classes begins in October, and monthly after that.
There are a limited number of classes available, so contact Jean Anderson as soon as possible if you're interested.
Be sure to ask for new ‘Speak Up for Your Library’ cards
Thanks to all of you that have turned in Speak Up for Your Library cards. By involving your library users and supporters you also strengthen the position of your library within the community.
As a reminder, if you have some of the old yellow cards, please use them for scrap paper and send me a request for new cards. We’ve changed the cards to collect the information we really need, including library name and the names of elected state representatives. The original yellow cards don’t collect any of this information, so it’s best not to use them.
We have plenty of the new cards on hand, and we can get them to you through Delivery in a day or two. Just contact Mark Ibach. You can also encourage patrons to sign-up at www.scls.info/pr/speak_up/.
Member/Staff News
As part of the 2009 “Be Creative @ Your Library” theme for the Summer Library Program, Black Earth Public Library, Rosemary Garfoot Public Library (Cross Plains), and Mazomanie Free Library encouraged their patrons to put their creativity to the test with a best limerick contest. Adults and children participated in separate categories. Friends of the Libraries provided $25 gift certificates to area business, and all six winning limericks were printed in the Aug. 27 New Sickle Arrow. You can read the winning limericks at www.bepubliclibrary.org/limericks.html.
Walt Crawford had this to say in his September 2009 Cites and Insights about Madison Public Library’s MADreads blog: A “well-rounded” book-oriented blog in 2007 -- not the highest on any particular measure, but among the top group on all metrics, and with good visibility. Although there are fewer posts in May 2009, it still stands out in most respects, including comments. Post titles such as “Using the Veg-O-Matic while listening to my victrola” are enticing, and the essays rarely disappoint.
Poynette Public Library’s new children's librarian, Katy Hanousek, wanted to do something fun to put a smile on patrons' faces, so she came up with an idea that plays on the familiar fortune cookie. Poynette now has a fishbowl filled with fortunes, cute sayings, famous author quotes, etc. and staff put one in each book (or DVD or CD) when it is checked out. Patrons are told they are getting a fortune "bookie," and according to Director Kris Daugherty, “They LOVE it!” Poynette also has been in the news lately because of its successful SLP penny drive to purchase a lynx for the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center. The library actually helped purchase two animals, but one suffered a severe spinal injury and had to be euthanized. The MacKenzie Center was able to purchase the brother of the surviving lynx, so the library is once again involved in raising funds to help pay for this new little guy. Daugherty said there has been tremendous community support and the Poynette area community has been receiving a great deal of positive press, too.
Spring Green Community Library recently posted its first-ever music video “Hop Around!” (at the bottom of the home page), which is a follow-up to the Mr. Billy’s Summer Library Concert held on July 29. Mr. Billy challenged the library to enter the Mr. Billy Concert Contest, and some of the library’s patrons stepped-up to that call. The young people in this video worked very hard to make this happen. They came up with the song, created the props, and learned the words and choreography.
Verona Public Library is sponsoring a series of programs in conjunction with “Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story,” a new television documentary about the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) to be broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel HD. Many of the library’s programs will bring the FWP closer to home by featuring the community’s and state’s roles in this remarkable undertaking. “Soul of a People programs in the library are sponsored by the American Library Association and supported by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information and dates, visit the Verona Public Library website.
PLAC revises database cost sharing
At its August 2009 meeting, the SCLS Public Library Advisory Council (PLAC) approved a revised process for dividing the costs for databases shared by SCLS member libraries. The previous cost formula, based on libraries’ operating expenditures, is no longer workable now that not every library participates in all database subscriptions.
The new formula will be based on a library’s number of cardholders. For LINK libraries, this number will be determined by the “Count of LINK Patrons by PSTAT by Library” report for the end of the previous year. For nonLINK libraries, it will be determined by the “number of registered borrowers” reported in the most recent annual report.
This change will also impact how SCLS authenticates users for the databases, particularly for LINK libraries. In the past, SCLS has looked at the PSTAT field to determine if a patron was eligible for access to a particular database. We will now look at the home library field to determine access. This change means that libraries will pay based on the number of individuals who have access to that library’s resources.
Because of this change, and the way it may affect some libraries, libraries have been given the opportunity to decide which databases they want to continue to have available in the library (and remotely, where remote access is available) and continue to pay for. Several other changes, described below, may affect libraries’ decisions.
BadgerLink now includes Literary Reference Center, which some libraries may view as a replacement for Literature Resource Center (LRC), and Auto Repair Reference Center, which libraries subscribing to ChiltonLibrary.com may view as a replacement for that database.
Because the BadgerLink databases now include NoveList, SCLS was able to negotiate an upgrade from NoveList to NoveList Plus for 2010, and we will pay for this upgrade in 2010. SCLS is also paying for the additional computer tutorials module for LearningExpress (using the LSTA 2009 Jobs Grant) through June 2010, and we are including it in our 2010 Jobs Grant proposal.
SCLS has arranged with Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) to handle trials, vendor negotiations, and group pricing for all shared databases that member libraries help pay for. This means that notices about your database cost for the coming year, and the actual bills for those costs, will now come from WiLS.
Library directors received a letter in late August with this information. Sara Gold, WiLS Cooperative Purchasing Librarian, is contacting libraries to learn which databases they wish to renew for 2010, depending on the final price. She’ll use this information to negotiate 2010 prices with vendors. As more libraries subscribe to a database, the better deal those libraries get. In general, as libraries drop out of a database subscription, the more the pricing is likely to go up for those libraries that remain.
If you have questions about the database funding formula, contact Cheryl Becker. If you have questions about vendor negotiations and specific database costs, contact Sara Gold at (608) 265-4167.
BadgerLink‘s lunchtime webinar series…BadgerLunch
Want to learn how BadgerLink can help you and your library patrons or students? Often wonder what BadgerLink has to offer? Need to squeeze learning into an already tight schedule?
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Reference and Loan Library has organized the BadgerLunch webinar series to help you make better use of BadgerLink. This series of learning sessions will explore BadgerLink’s rich collection of information tools. Each session covers one resource, database, or interface, and all sessions are open to anyone who wants to learn. Topics include a description of the information/learning resource, searching techniques, and helpful features. All sessions are Thursdays at noon and last 30-45 minutes. The first session will be held Oct. 1, and the full fall schedule is available as a pdf file.
BadgerLink is a project of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning. The goal is to provide access to quality online information resources for all Wisconsin residents.
Open meeting seminar scheduled Oct. 9 in Monona
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is hosting a free local seminar on Wisconsin’s public records and open meetings laws. Libraries are encouraged to participate, and can register in advance at www.doj.state.wi.us, or by calling (608) 267-1307.
The seminar will be held Friday, Oct.9, from 9 a.m. until noon, at the Monona Community Center, 1011 Nichols Rd.
CCBC Shorts -- a new webinar
Libraries are invited to participate in a series of exciting new, no cost, webinars from the Cooperative Children's Book Center and the South Central Library System.
CCBC Shorts is a brief monthly look at books for children and teens. The online sessions (using GoToWebinar) will include timely tours through some of the newest and best in children’s and young adult literature. Librarians from the CCBC will be your guides for these monthly 30-minute sessions designed to give librarians a heads-up about selected brand new titles of note. They’ll also revisit some of the gems already in your library collections. Each month will feature a different topic or theme.
The first CCBC Shorts will be held Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, and will feature a few brand new books of note, including some with a Halloween theme. The session will begin at 9 a.m., and you can register at the SCLS CE Calendar.
Future CCBC Shorts dates for the year are:
* Oct. 28 – Great New Gift Books; Holiday Books
* Nov. 18
* Dec. 16
Sessions will run from 9-9:30 a.m., and will be recorded and archived on the SCLS Continuing Education website. For more information, contact Shawn Brommer.
Weekly Onion distribution offered by Delivery
Starting this week, Delivery began a weekly distribution of "The Onion" newspaper to interested SCLS libraries. It is not too late to get on the list!
If you'd like copies of "The Onion" at your library, or if you'd like to change the number of copies you've requested, contact Brinnan Shaffer at (608) 261-9140.
Online vendors make influenza information available
Both EBSCO and Gale recently announced the availability of free online resources related to H1N1, and in the case of EBSCO, seasonal influenza as well.
EBSCO’s flu information resource (www.ebscohost.com/flu) will provide “continually updated, evidence-based clinical information from DynaMed, Nursing Reference Center, and Patient Education Reference Center.”
Gale’s resource (www.gale.cengage.com/flu) encourages you to “help your community learn the facts about H1N1, commonly known as the swine flu, with free access to Gale resources. Download our widget to your homepage, Facebook page or blog to share access to our newly created portal in Global Issues in Context, dedicated to providing up-to-date news and information about the swine flu from around the world, and dozens of eBooks from Gale and our partners which provide scientific and historical facts about H1N1.”
PLA awards applications now available online
The Public Library Association (PLA) is now accepting applications for the 2010 PLA Awards. Members can nominate their colleagues and libraries for PLA Awards through the PLA website. (http://www.pla.org) The deadline for submitting applications is Dec. 1, 2009, and only electronic applications will be accepted.
The PLA Awards are designed to highlight the best in public library service by honoring those whose vision and accomplishments are extraordinary and deserve recognition by their peers. The PLA Awards include:
- Allie Beth Martin Award, honoring a librarian who, in a public library setting, has demonstrated extraordinary range and depth of knowledge about books or other library materials and has distinguished ability to share that knowledge;
- EBSCO Excellence in Small and/or Rural Library Service Award, honoring a public library serving a population of 10,000 or less that demonstrates excellence of service to its community;
- Charlie Robinson Award, honoring a public library director who, over a period of seven years, has been a risk taker, an innovator and/or a change agent in a public library;
- Gordon M. Conable Award, recognizing a public library staff member, library trustee, or public library that has demonstrated a commitment to intellectual freedom and the Library Bill of Rights;
- Highsmith Library Innovation Award, recognizing a library's innovative and creative service program to the community;
- Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award, recognizing the contributions of a library worker, librarian, or library that has used technology and innovative thinking as a tool to improve services to public library users.
Grants and scholarships available through the program include:
- DEMCO New Leaders Travel Grant, serving to enhance the professional development of public librarians new to the field by making possible their attendance at major professional development activities;
- Baker & Taylor Entertainment Audio Music/Video Product Award is designed to provide a public library the opportunity to build or expand a collection of either or both formats in whatever proportion the library chooses;
- Romance Writers of America Library Grant is designed to provide a public library the opportunity to build or expand its romance fiction collection and/or host romance fiction programming.
The award juries will review the applications and recipients at the ALA 2009 Midwinter Meeting. Award winners will be announced thereafter, and each award will be presented at the PLA President's Reception and Awards Presentation held during the ALA 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit the PLA Awards website.
Ideas sought for the 2011 Summer Library Program manuals
Developing ideas around the 2011 Summer Library Program Adult Manual on the theme “Novel Destinations,” libraries are encouraged to submit ideas.
The overall theme for 2011 is Global/World Cultures/Travel, and the children's slogan is "One World -- Many Stories” and the teen’s slogan is "You Are Here."
For the adult manual, ideas are especially needed for areas like:
- underserved populations such as seniors;
- assisted living and nursing home residents;
- Setting the Scene: library decorations, bulletin boards, props, etc.; and
- family literacy and family programs
If your library has presented any successful programs that fit this theme, or if you have other ideas, please send them to Patti Sinclair by Dec. 1, 2009.
IMLS grant will help libraries help the unemployed
Job seekers have packed libraries around the country during recent months, searching online job sites, building resumes, taking interview classes, and making use of a wide range of other employment services and resources. Now more help is on the way. Through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), WebJunction and the State Library of North Carolina (SLNC) have launched a one-year initiative to gather and share best practices for providing library-based employment services and programs to the unemployed.
“We know that libraries are making important contributions to the nation’s economic recovery, and IMLS is committed to helping those libraries help their communities get back to work,” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, IMLS Director. “We admire this grant because of the educational opportunities it will provide and the relationships between libraries and economic and workforce development agencies that it will foster.”
The full IMLS press release on this grant project is at www.imls.gov/news/2009/091009.shtm. The DPI’s web page on library support for job seekers is at www.dpi.wi.gov/pld/lstajobs.html.
Library Journal hosts fundraising summit for directors
Library Journal has scheduled a Nov. 9-10 Director’s Summit titled “Successful Fundraising in a Tough Economy.” The summit is designed to provide library directors with direct access to some of the most respected leaders in the library fundraising world.
Sponsored by Gale Cenage Learning and hosted by Library Journal, Library Strategies, and Chicago Public Library, the summit kicks off Nov. 9 with an evening reception and keynote at Chicago Public Library. Nov. 10 includes a full day of panels, breakout sessions, and speed consulting with experts on creating support for buildings, technology, endowments, and more.
The free event is open to public library directors, who are encouraged to send a colleague if they are unable to attend. For more information about the program, or to register, visit www.libraryjournal.com/directorssummit09. Space is limited, so register soon.
Celebrate National Friends of Libraries Week Oct. 18-24
Friends of Libraries groups across the country will celebration National Friends of Libraries week, Oct. 18-24, 2009. Sponsored by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF), the celebration offers a two-fold opportunity to celebrate Friends.
Libraries are encouraged to use the time to creatively promote their group in the community, to raise awareness, and to promote membership. It’s also an excellent opportunity for your library and Board of Trustees to recognize the Friends for their help and support of the library.
For more information, including promotional materials and celebration ideas, visit the ALTAFF website.
Libraries also are encouraged to submit their observance ideas to the ALTAFF as part of the National Friends of Libraries Week Awards. Five friends groups will each win $250, donated by the Lana and Michael Porter Foundation. Applicants must be current members of the Friends section, or Friends Board affiliates. Membership must be valid through Jan. 31, 2010.
For complete application information, visit the ALTAFF website. Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 1, 2009.
Apply today for the We the People Bookshelf
The ALA Public Programs Office is partnering with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the seventh “We the People Bookshelf” project. The Bookshelf encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history.
Public and school (K-12) libraries are invited to apply online through Jan. 29, 2010, at http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. In spring 2010, ALA and NEH will select 4,000 libraries to receive the 17 books for young readers, as well as bonus materials for readers of all ages, and the option to receive three titles in Spanish translation. Libraries selected will be required to use the Bookshelf selections in programs for young readers in their communities.
This year’s theme, “A More Perfect Union,” invites reflection on the idea of the United States as a “Union,” a “One,” as well as a “Many,” and will complement library programs observing the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. To stimulate programming, the Bookshelf features a DVD edition of “The Civil War,” the award-winning documentary by Ken Burns, including the rights to show the series to public audiences. Additional bonus materials provided are the companion book to the series and “Declaring Independence: The Origin and Influence of America’s Founding Document,” edited by Christian Y. Dupont.
The Bookshelf grants are part of the NEH’s We the People program, which aims to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture through libraries, schools, colleges, universities and cultural institutions. Since 2003, NEH and ALA have distributed 13,000 We the People Bookshelves to public and school libraries.
For more information about the We the People Bookshelf on "A More Perfect Union," including programming ideas, the list of books, and the online application, visit http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. If you have questions, contact the ALA Public Programs Office.
Library Journal to recognize ‘Best Small Library’
Small libraries across the country provide amazing service and help shape the quality of life in the communities they serve, and Library Journal is again seeking nominations for it’s annual recognition for the “Best Small Library in America.”
Cosponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the award honors the public library that most profoundly demonstrates outstanding service to a population of 25,000 or less. The winning library will receive a $15,000 cash award, be the subject of a feature article in the Feb. 1, 2010, issue of Library Journal, membership and conference costs for two representatives to attend the Public Library association biannual conference in 2010 in Portland, OR, and a gala reception at the conference.
Two finalist libraries also will get membership and conference costs and will gain special mention in Library Journal. The postmark deadline is Nov. 2, 2009. For more information, visit the Library Journal website.
- Libraries and Family Award -- Better World Books (BWB) and the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) have launched a Libraries and Family Award, which will recognize exceptional family programming in libraries across the country. Each year, three winning libraries will be awarded $10,000 grants to help connect more families to their local libraries and expand their literacy efforts in new and innovative ways. One winner will be chosen from each of the three following categories: local Friends of the Library programs, public/academic libraries, and urban libraries. To request application information prior to Oct. 1, visit the NCFL website.
- Books for Babies -- In partnership with Nordstrom, the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundation (ALTAFF) is awarding 10 grants for $500 each to match $1,000 raised by selected Friends of the Library groups, women’s groups, libraries, and other nonprofit organizations for purchasing Books for Babies kits from ALTAFF. Books for Babies is a national literacy program that acquaints parents of newborns with the important role they play in the development of their children. The application deadline for the next round of grants is Oct. 1, 2009. More information and the application form is available from the ALTAFF website.