Index
- Proposed changes to adjacent county reimbursement
- Remember Top 5 for weekly updates
- Member/Staff News
- OverDrive announces Next Generation Basics
- BadgerLink website renovations
- Master popular software with LearningExpress
- September 2013 LibraryReads list
- Continuing Education Calendar
Proposed changes to adjacent county reimbursement
A bill (AB288) has been introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature that would allow public libraries to request adjacent county payments from a county with a consolidated public library. AB288 has been referred to the Committee on Urban and Local Affairs.
The proposal, although not officially filed at the time, was discussed by the Library Development and Legislation (LD&L) Committee of the Wisconsin Library Association at it’s Aug. 16 meeting.
The LD&L motion was to affirm the principle of equitable funding for libraries to include cross-border use, and requests the incoming WLA President to appoint a working group to study and make appropriate recommendations for statutory changes related to county payment issues no later than Nov. 30, 2013.
You can access the full text of AB288 on the Wisconsin Legislature’s website.
Remember Top 5 for weekly updates
Just a reminder to be sure and check SCLS Top 5 each week for updates about meetings, continuing education opportunities, and other important information for that week and the near future.
In an effort to keep libraries informed about the many different topics and/or opportunities, we will continue to try and improve our communication efforts and to reduce the number of emails we send out each week. One way we can do this is through Top 5, so we encourage library staff to read Top 5 each Monday.
Top 5 is sent to the scls-announce email list.
Madison Public Library’s interim Central Library at 126 S. Hamilton Street will close to the public on Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. The Central Library will reopen at 201 W. Mifflin Street on Sept. 21 at 9:30 a.m., following a 9 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony. The library’s Grand Opening celebration will be Sept. 21 and 22.
Madison Public Library welcomes Nathaniel Peterson (Page 2, Pinney Library) and Kelly Grandon (Page 2, Goodman South Madison Library). Laura Schmiedicke has been promoted (from Library Assistant, Meadowridge Library) to Library Assistant - Multi-site (Alicia Ashman Library), and Robert Lee was transfered/promoted, from Page 2 (RUS, Central) to Library Assistant -- Multi-site (Pinney Library is home branch).
OverDrive announces Next Generation Basics
OverDrive’s training team recently announced Next Generation Basics, a series of live hot topic webcasts to be offered in September. Join OverDrive as they cake you back to basics, with an emphasis on building a foundation of knowledge about your OverDrive service so you can provide the best experience possible for your users
The webcasts will be held Sept. 3-27, and you can register today at OverDrive’s Learning Center. Please save your confirmation email because you’ll need this information in order to test your computer for ReadyTalk compatibility and join the webcasts.
Attend the hot topic webcasts to:
- listen as OverDrive CEO Steve Potash shares his vision for partnering with libraries and schools to serve the next generation of readers.
- use Next Generation collection tools to shop OverDrive Marketplace.
- take a voyage of digital discovery and help your users make the most of their digital library website.
- put your troubleshooting skills to the test in an interactive session on user assistance.
- earn a chance to win a $500 collection credit, popular eBook devices, and the grand prize OverDrive Media Station.
Unable to attend? New session recordings will be posted to OverDrive’s Learning Center each Friday during September.
For more information about OverDrive, or about training options, contact Jean Anderson, SCLS Continuing Education Consultant.
BadgerLink website renovations
The BadgerLink website has been renovated!
The BadgerLink Team has surveyed educators, librarians, state employees, and the general public and has responded to the feedback with a new design. Users have access to the same great content with a new look. The website gives users the ability to browse BadgerLink resources by subject, format, or user group, and also showcases a responsive design that allows users to easily view the webpage no matter the screen size.
Users still have access to the great resources in BadgerLink at www.badgerlink.net.
Please contact Kara Ripley, BadgerLink Training Librarian, at [email protected] with any questions.
-- from Channel Weekly (Vol. 15, No.38 -- Aug. 15, 2013)
Master popular software with LearningExpress
Wisconsin residents can now access LearningExpress "Popular Software Tutorials.” These are self-paced online tutorials on the most commonly used applications (including Word, Excel, etc.) and operating systems. The tutorials, available for basic to advanced levels, include fully interactive multimedia; sound, animation and visual demonstrations, along with quizzes and hands-on practice lab simulations.
Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) purchased the tutorials using funds awarded through a Library Services and Technology Act grant. To make the materials easy for patrons and librarians to find and use, they’ve been integrated with the LearningExpress Library available on the BadgerLink website: (http://www.badgerlink.net).
Technical support will be provided by Resources for Libraries & Lifelong Learning’s BadgerLink Technical Support Team. Contact information for support can be found at http://rl3.dpi.wi.gov/contact-badgerlink.
-- from Channel Weekly (Vol. 15, No.38 -- Aug. 15, 2013)
September 2013 LibraryReads list
September's LibraryReads Favorite is:
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (9/10, St. Martin's Griffin) -- "At turns funny, sweet, smart, and sad, Fangirl traces Cath's journey to independence as she begins college, struggles to have an identity separate from her twin sister, find her voice and passion as a writer and fall in love, maybe, for the first time. As sharp and emotionally resonant as Rowell's previous novel, Eleanor & Park." -- Stephanie Chase, Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA
- How The Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Minotaur) -- "The latest novel featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec is as amazing as ever. The internal conflict within the Québec police force that has been building in the series comes to a head, prompting Gamache to retreat to the small town of Three Pines. The combination of fascinating mystery puzzles, exquisitely crafted characters, and gorgeous, gorgeous writing is irresistible." -- Megan McArdle, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA
- Night Film by Marisha Pessl (Random House) -- "Scott McGrath has it all -- a successful career in journalism, a beautiful wife, and an adorable daughter -- until his impulsive, possibly libelous comment about the mysterious film director Stanislav Cordova causes everything to fall apart. Five years later, Cordova's talented daughter, Ashley, dies from an apparent suicide--or is it? A giant, delicious, juicy read that cuts across genres." -- Elizabeth Olesh, Nassau Library System, Long Island, NY
- Help for the Haunted by John Searles (William Morrow) -- "Fourteen-year-old Sylvia slowly unravels deep family secrets after her demonologist parents are gunned down in a deserted church. Creepy, disturbing, and compelling, with gothic overtones and well-drawn characters, Help for the Haunted is definitely one of my favorite suspense novels of the year. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to older teens, and it would also make a terrific movie." -- Robin Beerbower, Salem Public Library, Salem, OR
- The Returned by Jason Mott (8/27, Harlequin MIRA) -- "Across the country and around the world, people are coming back from the dead and trying to reunite with their loved ones. In the tiny Southern town of Arcadia, Harold and Lucille Hargrave are astonished to have their son Jacob come back to them fifty years after he died. A global government agency at first works to reunite “The Returned” with their family members, then later confines them when problems arise as more and more people come back from the dead. A beautifully written exploration of love and family, community and responsibility, and a perfect book group selection." -- Vicki Nesting, St. Charles Parish Library, New Orleans, LA
- Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (Little, Brown) -- "Kent has created a first-rate debut novel with beautiful, lyrical passages and characters true to their historical counterparts. The unforgettable story finds convicted killer Agnes Magnúsdóttir awaiting execution and seeking both a reprieve from her dreadful sentence and the possibility of redemption. An excellent choice for reading groups, especially those who have enjoyed Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace." -- Margaret Donovan, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA
- Margot by Jillian Cantor (Riverhead) -- "Can you hide from your past and change who you are? If you try, what do you risk losing? This delicately written novel proposes an alternate fate for Margot Frank, who survives the war, moves to Philadelphia, finds work as a law secretary and assumes the identity 'Margie Franklin.' But when the movie version of The Diary of A Young Girl is released and the law firm takes on a case of a Holocaust survivor, Margot’s past and Margie’s carefully constructed present collide. This great book will appeal to reading groups and fans of alternative history, what-if novels and character-centered fiction." -- Janet Lockhart, Wake County Public Libraries, Cary, NC
- Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford (Ballantine) -- "Fans of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet have been eagerly anticipating Ford's new book. Set in 1920s Seattle, Songs of Willow Frost tells the moving story of Liu Song, a young Chinese-American woman who becomes pregnant by her stepfather. With her stunning good looks and lovely voice, Liu supports herself through singing, but difficult circumstances force her to give up her son William for adoption. Flash forward several years, William spots a movie ad featuring the glamorous actress, Willow Frost. Convinced that Willow is his ah-ma,William escapes the orphanage, determined to find her. A memorable journey, and one well worth taking." -- Anne Lee, Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
- Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink (Crown) -- "Through exhaustive interviews and extensive research, Fink offers a spellbinding account of Hurricane Katrina, a disaster which held the staff, patients, and families of a New Orleans hospital captive and left thousands of others marooned by rising flood waters in the heart of city. Filled with unforgettable life-and-death stories, Fink’s fine work of investigative journalism reads like a novel. The book causes you to rethink your opinions about end-of-life decisions, do-not-resuscitate orders and medical ethics." -- Marilyn Sieb, L.D. Fargo Public Library, Lake Mills, WI
- A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett (Scribner) -- "Absolutely gripping, harrowing and unforgettable! This well-written memoir is a true testament to the strength of one woman's spirit and her will to survive in unimaginable circumstances. The family issues that led Amanda Lindhout from her home in Canada to a life of world travel and a career in journalism are as richly detailed and compelling as the brutal account of her fifteen-month-long captivity by Somali Islamist rebels in 2008. She tells her story with such vulnerability and honesty that it is a privilege to read it." -- Mary Coe, Fairfield Woods Branch Library, Fairfield, CT