Index
- July 1 is deadline to request reimbursement from adjacent counties
- Support Services Manager sought
- TeenRead promotional materials available
- Member/Staff News
- ‘Libraries for Real Life’ materials available free of charge
- Advocacy sessions available for SCLS member libraries
- BadgerLearn is collaborative learning space
- ALA urges libraries to participate in LibrariUS
- Continuing Education Calendar
July 1 is deadline to request reimbursement from adjacent counties
If your library served residents in adjacent counties in 2010 who live outside municipalities with libraries, you are eligible to request funds from those counties for serving those residents. Such requests for 2012 payments must be made to adjacent counties by July 1, 2011.
All of the information you need to request these payments can be found in your library's 2010 annual report. In March, Cheryl Becker compiled a spreadsheet for each library and prepared a sample statement libraries can use to request reimbursement. Both of these documents, as well as background information, can be found at www.scls.info/management/cross/index.html.
If you have questions, or discover any errors in the spreadsheet or documents you received in March, please contact Cheryl Becker.
Support Services Manager sought
The South Central Library System (SCLS) in Madison, Wisconsin, is seeking a Support Services Manager. SCLS provides support to 53 SCLS member public libraries in a seven county area and employs 65 people.
The manager is responsible for the administration of the System budget of $8 million, payroll, investment of System funds, and the coordination of business and personnel department functions. This position reports directly to the System Director. Requirements include a four-year college degree and knowledge of Quickbooks, Excel and MS Office, plus a minimum of 5 years accounting and personnel experience. Minimum salary is $70,000 plus generous benefits.
Complete job description available at www.scls.info/about/supportservicesmanager.html.
Send cover letter, resume and contact information for three references to [email protected] no later than June 17, 2011.
TeenRead promotional materials available
The following publicity materials for this year's TeenRead blog are now available.
- full-sheet posters (with book jacket art)
- half-sheet flyers (with book jacket art and book descriptions)
- half-sheet flyers (with book jacket art - NO book descriptions)
- bookmarks (no jacket art - blog design and text)
- web button
Samples of these materials are available at www.scls.info/pr/slp/teen_read/. Contact Mark Ibach to request copies of these materials for your library (printed free of charge). You also may print any of these materials from the SCLS website.
The TeenRead Blog is available at http://teenread.scls.info/.
Member/Staff News
Jeff Wavrunek is the new director at Adams County Public Library, effective June 20. He has been director of adult services at Collinsville Memorial Library Center in Collinsville, IL, since January 2010. Prior to that post, he was youth services reference librarian at the Forest Park Public Library in Forest Park, IL, from August 2009 to January 2010. He also held other librarian positions in 2008 in Illinois.
Jennifer Tallman is the new director of the Jane Morgan Memorial Library in Cambria. She replaces Jeanne Radke, whose last day at Cambria is June 8. More information will be included in the next issue.
‘Libraries for Real Life’ materials available free of charge
Libraries are instrumental in shaping the quality of life in our communities, and capturing and sharing personal stories is a way to capitalize on the goodwill libraries generate. This will be especially important as we progress through the difficult economic times that are plaguing libraries across the country.
These stories have the potential to dramatically reinforce public attitudes toward libraries, and this is the driving force behind the project “Library For Real Life.”
The title -- “Libraries For Real Life!” -- reinforces the reality that today’s public libraries are vibrant, dynamic community resources that meet the information, education, and recreational needs of residents of all ages. There is little doubt about the impact libraries have, and sharing those stories is critical to the continued success of these vital community institutions.
We encourage each library to link to www.librariesforreallife.org, using one of the buttons designed for that purpose. We also encourage you to download the press release from the “Information for Libraries” link near the bottom of the page and ask your local newspaper to publish it. Posters, table tents, bookmarks, and printed story submission forms are available free of charge by placing a print request with Mark Ibach.
For more information about the project, click on the website’s “Learn More” link, or contact Mark Ibach.
Advocacy sessions available for SCLS member libraries
The importance of telling your library’s story has never been more important than it is today, and an ongoing advocacy project of the SCLS Board’s Advocacy Committee can help libraries encourage grassroots advocacy among supporters.
The committee’s goal was to create a 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.
To keep it simple, participants leave the 40-minute session 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 sessions are available for all library, Friends and foundation boards within the South Central Library System. Because of the number of member libraries, we’re only able to offer one training session per library, so it works best if library boards also invite foundation and Friends members.
If you have questions about the advocacy project, or would like to schedule a date for your library, please contact Mark Ibach.
BadgerLearn is collaborative learning space
BadgerLearn is a joint project under active development by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Resources for Libraries and Lifelong Learning (RL&LL), Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) and the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC). The immediate vision is to create a place where librarians can discover and access resources of professional value.
Some examples of the resources you'll currently find include:
- Streaming tutorials about OverDrive e-book use
- Archived BadgerLunch webinars
- Streaming tutorials about Adobe Digital Editions
- Tutorials for productivity tools such as MS Word and Excel
BadgerLearn's ultimate vision is to be a sort of co-op where library staff can use existing resources and share new resources they develop with the greater community. By reducing the need to re-invent the wheel, librarians can spend more time doing what we do best: serving customers. There are several ideas behind the creation of BadgerLearn.
- By creating a place where content is gathered together, it will be easier for library staff to access quality material.
- By creating content geared toward the Wisconsin library community (for services like OverDrive and BadgerLink), there will be a reduced need for local staff to do what's already been done elsewhere.
- Sharing is something libraries are good at, and there is a great deal of fantastic instructional content out there that's being developed by libraries and library systems.
Please look at the site, understanding that it is still under development. BadgerLearn utilizes an open-source software platform called CWIS, which handles all the database-driven aspects of the site under the hood. The interface is a modified version of a stock template, and is also in-progress, but input is sought. A brief tutorial, to be added to the homepage soon, will highlight some of the search and browse functionality, as well as how you can get involved in the project.
ALA urges libraries to participate in LibrariUS
Your library can help the American Library Association, its Public Library Association division, and the Public Insight Network with the LibrariUS project by placing a widget on the library's website.
ALA's Office for Library Advocacy and PLA are partnering with American Public Media's (APM) Public Insight Network to gain a greater understanding of libraries and the communities they support.
Through an interactive website, the LibrariUS initiative collects details from people using the library. Its intention is to inspire news content and, more importantly, generate a fresh and meaningful conversation about libraries and communities in the 21st century.
LibrariUS is designed to easily capture stories from patrons or library staff. A simple widget, installed on your library's website, links patrons to the LibrariUS website and enables them to share why they're visiting the library or using the library’s website.
Their responses, along with their name (first and last initial only) and location, will be displayed on a public interactive map, updated in real time. Library staff is encouraged to contribute as well with stories of programs or services and their impact on the community.
You can learn more about the project from the WLA website, or from the LibrariUS website.