Index
- SCLS Board changes monthly meeting dates in 2012
- Begin 2012 with an emphasis on advocacy
- Member/Staff News
- Make your voice heard; register for Library Legislative Day
- Found in Wisconsin: your home for Wisconsin’s digital collections
- Deerfield seeks assistant director
- Census 2010 income and poverty estimates for counties, school districts
- Continuing Education Calendar
SCLS Board changes monthly meeting dates in 2012
In an effort to better facilitate payment of bills, as well as the movement of items that are forwarded from the Administrative Council to the SCLS Board, monthly board meetings will be held on the fourth Thursday of each month.
For years the board has met on the second Monday of the month, but that timeline presented problems related to the payment of bills. Also, with the new governance structure approved several years ago, that Monday meeting schedule meant a delay in approval of items forwarded to the board by the Administrative Council.
The change in monthly board meetings takes place in January 2012, which means the first SCLS Board meeting of 2012 will take place on Jan. 26.
Agendas and minutes for SCLS Board meeting can be found at www.scls.info/committees/scls/board/.
Begin 2012 with an emphasis on advocacy
As we prepare to begin a new year, it’s a good time to begin thinking about how your library can have more influence over the annual budget process next year. Proactive advocacy will be more important than ever, and getting an early start will be a key component of achieving more positive budget outcomes.
Libraries are only one of the many public services competing for a finite pool of tax dollars. To do so effectively, you should turn to the most convincing spokespeople for your library's programs and resources -- those you serve on a daily basis. Their stories and support are powerful, but using those positive feelings to benefit the library does not happen automatically.
If you’d like help creating a library advocacy plan, as well as advocacy messages and materials to be used in your community, contact Mark Ibach and schedule a time to have him visit your library. More information about developing an advocacy plan is also available at www.scls.info/pr/advocacy/. Mark is also available to conduct a 45-minute advocacy session for library boards.
The start of a new year is also a good time to get a supply of “Speak Up for Your Library” cards from Mark (available at no cost to SCLS member libraries). By involving your library users and supporters you strengthen the position of your library within the community because you can get the emails of all those who list your library as their home library. It’s an easy way to reach out locally to build support for your library. We also encourage libraries to link from their website to the online sign-up form at www.scls.info/pr/speak_up.
As an added advocacy effort, libraries can link to the SCLS “Library Use Value Calculator,” which is an excellent opportunity for library users to attach a financial impact to their personal library use. We recently changed this resource so annual data updates for the calculator are performed once by SCLS staff, even if you put the calculator on your library’s website.
Member/Staff News
Kaia Fry will retire at the end of December after more than 30 years at Deerfield Public Library. You can read more in the Deerfield Independent. Kaia will be honored at an open house at the library on Friday, Dec. 16, from 3-6 p.m. She requests no gifts.
Mark Ibach, SCLS Marketing & PR Coordinator, this week assumed the new duties of Consultant Team Manager. These will be in addition to his existing responsibilities for marketing, public relations, and advocacy. Until a new Public Library Administration Consultant is hired, Mark will be the point contact on those projects previously handled by Cheryl Becker. If you are not sure which consultant -- Jean Anderson, Shawn Brommer, Deb Haeffner, Mark Ibach, or Rose Ziech -- you should call about a particular issue or project, then contact Mark and he’ll put you in touch with the correct person.
NPR recently ran an interesting piece on how libraries are recreating themselves. You can reads more, and listen to Libraries Make Room For High-Tech 'Hackerspaces' on the NPR website.
The Portage Common Council last week approved a $400,000 investment in the Portage Public Library expansion/renovation project. You can read more about the vote, and project, in the Portage Daily Register.
The Progressive ran a nice article in its November 2011 issue about the value of libraries. Titled Overdue Notice: Defend Our Libraries, the piece was written by Antonino D’Ambrosio.
Reedsburg Public Library’s "After School is Cool: Comic Convention" -- or "Comic Con" – program was highlighted recently in the Reedsburg Times Press. The program, which is for fifth- to eighth-grade students, allows participants to take home 10 comic books after each session. The books are returned and exchanged for 10 new titles the following week.
Make your voice heard; register for Library Legislative Day
Library Legislative Day is Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012. "Libraries at the heart of the community" is this year's theme, whether your community is an academic institution, a K-12 school, a municipality, or a museum, law firm or hospital. Legislators need to hear from you about important library issues.
Major issues in 2012 include gaining support for:
- a bill extending the deadline for changes to the UW System’s research functions and WiscNet
- protection of the Common School Fund for school library use
- a bill to enable public library districts
- a bill to improve options for recovering overdue library materials
Participate in Library Legislative Day to learn what is important to public officials and, in the process, position yourself as a resource on library issues. Appointments will be made for you and others from your legislative district. Background materials and briefing provided in advance give you talking points on the issues. Professional lobbyists will provide tips on having an effective meeting.
Register at www.wla.lib.wi.us/legis/day/index.htm.
Found in Wisconsin: your home for Wisconsin’s digital collections
Found in Wisconsin is a database that allows you to search for collections of digitized objects, containing information about Wisconsin or created by Wisconsin authors.
Take a look at these digital collections that will get you hyped up for the Rose Bowl:
- UW Madison Campus Traditions -- Go to this website to view videos about UW Madison's various traditions. You can find footage of the legendary "5th Quarter" at a UW Football game, the 2010 Convocation, the UW Marching Band and a look behind the scenes at Babcock Hall. This collection was created by the UW-Madison as part of their archival video footage.
- UW-Madison Athletic Department Collection -– This collection contains photos and archival materials that document a variety of sports, coaches and student athletes, and their experiences competing on UW-Madison teams.
- Songs of the University of Wisconsin -- This book, published in 1911, follows the previous UW songbooks of 1898 and 1910. The first song book was compiled and then 10 years later it was edited. The 1911 songbook contains additional songs that won a contest including "Let's Drink to Old Wisconsin" and "Our Dear Old Wisconsin."
- UW-Madison Athletics Photo Gallery -- Part of UW-Madison's "Badger History" series, these photos take a look back at UW's Sports figures. Learn about important people who shaped Badger Athletics in over 200 archival photographs. See photos from many eras with images of well-known football players and boxers, hockey players and runners, basketball players and wrestlers, along with the coaches who led help train and lead them. Click on "auto play" to view as a slide show.
If you have any questions about Found in Wisconsin, or would like to suggest content, email [email protected].
Start exploring today!
--from Channel Weekly (Vol. 14, No 12 – Dec. 8, 2011)
Deerfield seeks assistant director
Deerfield Public Library is seeking a part-time Assistant Director (approximately 24 hours per week). Excellent people skills, management skills, ability to work with the public, proficiency with all types of technology, willingness to be a team member and leader, and knowledge of the library are required. Experience working with all ages from toddler to older adults is a plus.
Duties will include providing readers’ advisory services, managing the library’s collections (books, audiovisual and digital), providing staff and patron training, planning and implementing programming throughout the year, assisting with general library tasks and duties, and managing the library in the director’s absence. A Master’s degree in library studies is preferred, a Bachelor’s degree is required, and 3-5 years of library experience is referred. Salary is $14 per hour, with some night and weekend hours required; prorated vacation and sick time are available.
To apply, submit a resume, cover letter and three references to: Deerfield Public Library, Attn: Leah Fritsche, P.O. Box 408, Deerfield, WI 53531. The application deadline is Dec. 20, 2011.
Census 2010 income and poverty estimates for counties, school districts
The 2010 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) data are available for 3,142 counties and nearly 14,000 Title I-eligible school districts. The data represent the only current, single-year income and poverty estimates available for all sizes of counties and school districts. These estimates are released annually, but 2007 was chosen for comparison because it was a pre-recessionary year.
The 2010 estimates also show that about one-third (1,011) of counties had school-age poverty rates significantly above the national poverty rate of 19.8 percent and 851 counties had rates significantly below. Among the 1,306 counties with total population less than 20,000, 73 counties were significantly above 30 percent poverty for school-age children in 2010. There were 48 counties above 30 percent in 2007.
From the publication: “SAIPE also provides county and state estimates for the total number of people in poverty, the number of children under 5 in poverty (for states only), the number of children 5 to 17 in families in poverty, the number of children under 18 in poverty and median household income. School district estimates from SAIPE, produced for the Department of Education to implement provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, are available for the total population, the number of children 5 to 17 and the number of children 5 to 17 in families in poverty.
“This release includes publication of the 2010 SAIPE Highlights Document, which presents SAIPE statistical trends and explains the sources and approach. Also available is an interactive mapping tool, allowing access to the county and school district statistics by selecting the geographic area for display, as well as thematic maps for all concepts available from SAIPE 2010 and 2009. More information can be obtained from the SAIPE main page.
SAIPE combines the latest American Community Survey data with aggregate data from federal tax information, administrative records on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation, 2000 and 2010 Census statistics and annual population estimates.
These statistics, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, are used as one of the criteria to allocate federal funds to local educational agencies. In addition, state and local programs use these statistics for distributing funds and managing school programs.
Libraries may find the information not only of interest for local and regional planning, but also for public library planning and grant applications.