Index
- Advocacy awareness sessions available for SCLS member libraries
- Madison’s Christina Wagner receives national award
- Member/Staff News
- Stoughton Public Library seeks new director
- DLTCL outlines Wisconsin e-book issues and plans
- Rural award nominations sought
- Apply for a Big Read grant
- @Your Library joins Money Smart Week
- Continuing Education Calendar
Advocacy awareness sessions available for SCLS member libraries
The importance of telling your library’s story has never been more important, and a new advocacy awareness project of the SCLS Board’s Advocacy Committee is designed to help libraries encourage grassroots advocacy among library supporters.
The committee’s goal was to create an awareness program that takes the mystery out of advocacy, empowering those who already believe in the value of public libraries to share their passion with others in the community.
We wanted to keep it simple, and to ensure that everyone who attends a session is convinced that they can do library advocacy. To that end, participants will leave the 40-minute session armed with only two sheets of paper -- one a personal reflection of why the library is important to them and why they use the library, and the other a “Talking Points” sheet with local library statistics that attendees will fill in together.
The session is available for all library, Friends and foundation boards within the South Central Library System, and libraries are encouraged to sign up now. Because of the number of member libraries, we’re only able to offer one training session per library. As a result, it will work best if library boards also invite foundation and Friends members.
If you have questions, or would like to schedule a session at your library, please contact Mark Ibach. To date, sessions have been held with 10 SCLS member libraries, and two more are scheduled in January and February.
Madison’s Christina Wagner receives national award
Christina Wagner of the Goodman South Madison Branch of the Madison Public Library was one of 10 librarians nationwide to receive a 2010 “I Love My Librarian Award.” The Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians.
“We are thrilled to honor the 10 winners of this award for their excellence and as a tribute to the significant impact that libraries and librarians have on the lives of people in their communities every day,” said Roberta Stevens, president of the American Library Association (ALA).
2010 was the third year of the award, which will continue annually through 2012. The award is administered by the American Library Association with generous support from Carnegie Corporation of New York and The New York Times.
You can read the nomination for Chris on the program website.
Member/Staff News
The November 2010 LINK Library Statistics Summary is posted on Automation's website. Both PDF and Excel versions of this report are posted. The November 2010 Circulation Statistics reports also are available online.
Lee Schauer is the new director of the LaValle Public Library, effective Jan. 2, 2011.
The December issue of WSLL @ Your Service has just been published at http://wilawlibrary.gov/newsletter/1012.html.
Based on patron request, the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) Selection Committee voted to increase the number of holds allowed from four to six. On Dec. 7, 2010, WPLC also ordered more than 600 new titles. A link to the list of new titles is available at www.wplc.info/current-projects.
Stoughton Public Library seeks new director
The Stoughton Public Library Board of Trustees seeks candidates for the full-time professional position of library director. The ideal candidate will be a visionary with a strong technology background, will be expected to further enhance the library's high level of service, and continue its role as an integral component of the community.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- overall administration of the library, including human resources;
- financial management, including fundraising, grant writing and donor development;
- long-range planning, programming, outreach, and community relations;
- management of facility maintenance and renovation; and
- advocacy of the interests of the library before government and various organizations.
A complete list of duties and responsibilities can be found at www.stoughtonpubliclibrary.org/director.htm. Minimum qualifications: ALA-accredited MLS certification required with 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in libraries, and demonstrated effectiveness in management, finance, and personnel.
Applications will be accepted until Jan. 17, 2011, or until the position is filled.
DLTCL outlines Wisconsin e-book issues and plans
Staff of the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning (DLTCL) are aware of strong feelings in the Wisconsin library community about new e-book products available only to residents of a single library community, and the broader issues of e-books and their impact on library services. From one perspective, there is a strong and understandable desire to move ahead and offer the public more e-books and other e-content. From another perspective, building local collections that cannot be shared or offered to non-residents is contrary to the provision of Wisconsin library service over many decades. In addition, it is likely there are legal issues involved.
In order to try to resolve these issues, and the many other important issues surrounding e-books and other e-content, the DLTCL will organize an e-book summit to be held in early May 2011 to develop statewide strategies for addressing e-content issues (many of these issues are identified in the COSLA report at www.cosla.org/documents/COSLA2270_Report_Final1.pdf). The Wisconsin summit is meant to also inform national strategies on these topics, as many of the issues must be addressed at that level, and allows the Wisconsin library community to have a voice in the debates.
At its November meeting, the DLTCL asked the LSTA Advisory Committee to endorse funding for this summit and funding for expanded e-content licensing in 2011. The Committee endorsed this proposal unanimously and the DLTCL plans to commit over $100,000 toward these purposes in 2011.
Statewide library organizations and librarians from all types and sizes of libraries will be represented at this summit. The division has asked statewide library organizations for nominations for summit participation. Soon, the DLTCL anticipates discussing expanded e-content licensing with the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC). LSTA funds will be used to expand e-content that is available statewide.
Further details about the summit and its participants will be publicized as the process progresses, as well as opportunities for additional input from the statewide library community.
-- from Channel Weekly (Vol. 13, No. 12 – Dec. 9, 2010)
Rural award nominations sought
State Superintendent Tony Evers is pleased to open nominations for the “2011 Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin Schools, Libraries, and Communities Award.” This award honors partnerships between and among schools, libraries, and communities that have resulted in programs or projects that demonstrate the great potential and spirit of rural Wisconsin. This award began in March 2005, when eight schools and communities were recognized for exemplary programs. Since 2005, 40 more programs have been honored at the State Capitol.
The submission deadline is Jan. 21, 2011. The award ceremony will be held March 7, 2011, in the State Capitol. For a description of previous award winners and to fill out a nomination form, go to www.dpi.wi.gov/rural/suawards.html.
-- from Channel Weekly (Vol. 13, No. 13 – Dec. 16, 2010)
Apply for a Big Read grant
The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, is accepting applications from libraries for grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 to conduct month-long, community-wide reads between September 2011 and June 2012. The grants must be matched at least one-to-one with non-federal funds. Approximately 75 organizations will be selected to participate, and applicants must choose from a list of 28 book titles or three poets as their reading choices. The deadline is Feb. 1, 2011, and more information is available at www.neabigread.org/guidelines.php.
-- from Channel Weekly (Vol. 13, No. 11 – Dec. 2, 2010)
@Your Library joins Money Smart Week
The Federal Reserve Bank partnered with the American Library Association (ALA) in 2010 to launch Money Smart Week @ Your Library nationally. Throughout the 10-year history of Money Smart Week, libraries have been instrumental in facilitating and hosting quality Money Smart Week events. The partnership with the ALA, which is the first of its kind, will allow libraries across the country to participate independently or as part of existing state and regional campaigns.
Even more libraries can join Money Smart Week next spring, from April 2-9, 2011. Events will take place at libraries across the country and will cover topics from learning how to apply for a mortgage to teaching young people about credit.
For more information, visit www.chicagofed.org/webpages/education/msw/ala/index.cfm.
-- from Channel Weekly (Vol. 13, No. 11 – Dec. 2, 2010)