- SCLS office closure clarification
- Libraries submitting new ILS agreements; cluster ballots available
- Member/Staff News
- Photo permission questions continue for libraries
- Grant/Award Opportunities
- Don’t forget to request ‘Speak Up for Your Library’ cards
- Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese!
- Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is Nov. 15-21
- Regional Library for the Blind changes name
- Begin planning now for Feb. 16 Library Legislative Day
- StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening Is Nov. 27
- NYPL YouTube video is well done
- Continuing Education Calendar
SCLS office closure clarification
There has been some confusion about office closures and service disruption during next week’s move of South Central Library System’s Administration and Automation office staffs. The move to the new facility at 4610 South Biltmore Lane, Suite 101, will take place Thursday, Nov. 19, through Monday, Nov. 23.
Here is the information on closures and service disruptions.
- Thursday, Nov. 19 -- Administration offices will be closed as staff move to the new facility.
- Friday, Nov. 20 -- Dynix, LINKcat/PAC and TeleCirc will be unavailable. Administration and Automation offices will be closed as staff move to the new facility. Limited Help Desk service may be available.
- Saturday, Nov. 21 & Sunday, Nov. 22 -- No service outages planned. Dynix, LINKcat and TeleCirc and phone support services are expected to be provided as normal.
- Monday, Nov. 23 -- Dynix, LINKcat/PAC and TeleCirc will be unavailable for some portion of the morning. Help Desk service is expected to be provided as normal, but the new office will be closed for the day.
For detailed information on downtime, see the Status Wiki.
Delivery will remain in its current facility and will continue to operate as normal.
Libraries submitting new ILS agreements; cluster ballots available
We're on track to start our new governance on Jan. 1, 2010, and in preparation libraries have begun returning signed ILS agreements. We've posted a list of signed ILS agreements, so you can make sure we've received your signed agreement, and you can also see what other libraries have submitted their signed agreements.
Also on the issue of the governance change, ballots for the SCLS governance elections are now available at www.scls.info/committees/ballots.html.
Each library can vote only once, and can only vote for its own cluster representatives. Multiple votes from one library will not be counted.
Voting will close at 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, and representatives will be announced on Monday, Nov. 23. The recruitment for candidates for the at-large seats on the Administrative Council will also begin Nov. 23. More information about those seats will be available at that time.
If you have any questions contact Stef Morrill.
Member/Staff News
The October 2009 LINK Library Statistics Summary is posted on Automation's website, and both PDF and Excel versions of this report are available. The minutes and handouts from the Oct. 8 LINK meeting are now available online at http://automation.scls.lib.wi.us/committee/link/2009/index.htm. The next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Dec. 10 at Sun Prairie Public Library.
It's not to early for Christmas! Start your decorating this week with a stop in Lodi. Jerry Hilliker, husband of former Lodi Public Library director Peg Hilliker, will be selling off his immense collection of holiday decorations, ornaments, trees and more at a "Christmas in November" sale to be held this Sunday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Lodi Area Middle School. All proceeds from the sale will be placed in the Lodi Public Library's Margaret J. "Peg" Hilliker memorial endowment fund.
Madison Public Library welcomed these new employees in September and October -- Natiesha Bailey (Page II, Central Library), Michael Brenneis (Page II, Pinney Branch), Jane Cochard (Page I, Central Library), Christopher Davis (Page I, Pinney Branch), Kai Lawson (Page II, Central Library), Robert Lee (Page II, Central Library), Angela Lewis (Page II, Sequoya Branch), Jody Lovaj (Youth Services Librarian, Meadowridge Branch), Alicia Lux (promoted to Clerk, Lakeview Branch), Lynn McElmurry-Reich (Page I, Sequoya Branch), Sean Ottosen (Page II, Alicia Ashman Branch), Laura Schmiedicke (Page II, South Madison Branch), and Kia Vang (Clerk, Lakeview Branch).
Throughout November, New Glarus Public Library is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Founded in 1934, the Library is commemorating its anniversary in several ways: by giving away 75 specially-designed anniversary t-shirts, encouraging patrons to complete activity puzzles to be eligible for prizes, and to jot down their favorite books and authors for everyone to see. Anniversary celebrations will culminate in a reception from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28, in the New Glarus Village Hall Community Room.
Come fishing all year 'round at Portage County Public Library -- just leave your poles at home! Many libraries have fish tanks, but thanks to the Ichthyology and Aquarium Science Society of Stevens Point (IASSSP), Portage County Public Library (Stevens Point) has a unique tank of native species on its first floor to entertain both adults and children. Some of native fish identified in the tank include log perch, blunt nose minnows, red sided daces, mud minnows, darters, shiners, and a stone cat. These non-game, native species have been seined by members of IASSSP from area rivers, streams and lakes. The Library plans on working with IASSSP to prepare informational brochures and an observation journal for identification and further enjoyment by our public. Programs for all ages and abilities are in the works.
Photo permission questions continue for libraries
When do you need a signed permission form to use a photo you take at your library, and when can you skip this formality without concern? These are questions that arise frequently, and this week David Lee King addressed the subject on his Blog.
His library recently revised its photo permission policy, which previously required them to get everyone appearing in the photos to sign-off before they could use the photo. Because of the inherent difficult, he said they ended up not taking many photos.
To address the concern, the library met with its lawyer to get some clarification, the result of which was a more flexible, modern set of photo permission guidelines. You can read more about his library’s decision on his blog at www.davidleeking.com. Whether their approach would work in your library would be up to you and your city/village/town/county attorney. But it’s worth exploring.
This topic is especially timely given next week’s launch by the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation of the Flicker Group “Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese.” From Nov. 1-8 libraries across the state took photos, and those are being assembled into a Flickr Group to show the “business and busy-ness” of Wisconsin libraries.
Grant/Award Opportunities
Wisconsin’s Certified Community Foundations – Allows you to search for community foundations by county.
Don’t forget to request ‘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 senators and representatives. The original yellow cards don’t collect any of this information, so it’s best not to use them.
Expanding this list of residents willing to speak in support of libraries is critical, and may be more important than ever if the local and state budget pictures don’t improve markedly before the next budget cycle. To be most effective, we need to ensure that library supporters in all communities have an opportunity to speak up, and that can only happen when libraries make the cards available.
We have plenty of the 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 online by placing a link to www.scls.info/pr/speak_up on your library website.
Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese!
The photos have been taken, and many have been uploaded to library Flickr accounts in preparation for the Nov. 18 unveiling of "Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese!" a statewide promotion to show the diversity, the business, and the busy-ness of Wisconsin libraries.
Before that date you can get more information about the project by visiting www.wisconsinlibraries.org/saycheese/libraries.html. On Nov. 18, that same URL will feature the photos from libraries statewide.
"Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese!" is sponsored by the Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries and the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is Nov. 15-21
Mary Maronek, the Department of Public Instruction Coordinator for Homeless Services, invites public libraries to join the effort to raise awareness about homelessness and hunger issues.
This is especially important as people struggle with economic issues. Many families are at risk of being hungry or homeless. The combination of the high cost of living, low-wage jobs, and high unemployment rates exacerbate these problems and force countless Americans to choose between food, housing, and other expenses.
Some libraries may be a drop off site for local food pantries, but that may not be possible for every public library. It would be helpful if libraries could at least create a display on homelessness and hunger. Anything that public libraries can do to help raise awareness is appreciated.
Studies show that money devoted to food is typically the first to be sacrificed.
- Last year the national poverty rate rose to include 39.8 million Americans.
- 1 in 3 children in the U.S. were at risk of suffering from hunger in the United States.
- 3.5 million people were forced to sleep in parks, under bridges, in shelters or cars.
For more information on what it costs to maintain a family of four, go to www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour.htm. The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) at www.serve.org/nche is an excellent resource on poverty and homelessness issues.
Regional Library for the Blind changes name
The Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped has changed its name to the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library. Located in the Milwaukee Public Library's Central Library in downtown Milwaukee, all other contact information remains the same:
Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library
813 W. Wells St.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
414.286.3045 (Milwaukee)
800.242.8822 (Wisconsin toll free number)
414.286.3548 (TDD)
414.286.3102 (FAX)
[email protected]
regionallibrary.wi.gov
Begin planning now for Feb. 16 Library Legislative Day
Developing and nurturing relationships with state legislators is a critical component of any library’s overall advocacy plan, and the Wisconsin Library Association’s Library Legislative Day is the perfect time to take action.
Scheduled Feb. 16, 2010, the day begins at the Inn on the Park in Madison, and later moves to the State Capital for legislative visits. Speakers in the morning session will provide an overview of legislative issues affecting libraries, and will share tips on how to maximize your time with legislators.
In 2009, SCLS’s Public Library Advisory Committee (PLAC) set a goal of having 25 percent of all member libraries attend Library Legislative Day. That goal was reached, and this year we’d like to exceed that level of library participation.
There is no cost to attend, unless you opt for the lunch that is available for purchase. Information for the 2010 event has not yet been posted to the WLA website, but we encourage you to reserve the date and begin making plans to attend.
Library Legislative Day is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Library Association and the Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association. Tony Evers, newly-elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, will be one of the featured speakers.
StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening Is Nov. 27
In 2008, Story Corps launched the first annual National Day of Listening. On this day, people across the country ere encouraged to record and share conversations with loved ones and neighbors using their Do-It-Yourself materials. The tradition continues this year (November 27) with outreach to schools, libraries, and service organizations to bring Story Corps to their communities.
Libraries can visit www.nationaldayoflistening.org to download free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide with step-by-step interview instructions, equipment recommendations and great questions.
There are several other ways libraries can get involved in the National Day of Listening:
Story Corps is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. Since 2003, more than 50,000 Americans have interviewed family and friends through Story Corps, making it one of the largest oral history projects of its kind.
-- from Channel Weekly (Vol. 12, N. 8 – Nov. 5, 2009)
NYPL YouTube video is well done
If you haven’t seen it, take a few minutes and check out a YouTube video about the New York Public Library. It will be well worth the time you invest.
The video was produced for the annual Library Lions, New York Public Library's most important annual event and one of the most anticipated dinners on New York City's social calendar. In addition to honoring three library staff members, the event recognized Annie Proulx, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of The Shipping News and "Brokeback Mountain," and Hilary Knight, illustrator of the Eloise children's books
Watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIIOLJ3HPbE.