Index
- SCLS website re-design survey now online
- November ‘Talk of the Town’ available
- Member/Staff News
- New titles added to SCLS Professional Collection
- Sewing machine maker kits available
- Building a Better Board of Trustees
- CE workshop to address ‘Hiring Good Organizational Citizens’
- Order Wisconsin tax forms by Dec. 11
- Apply now to host Thinking Money traveling exhibition
- Apply now for Big Read grants
- Continuing Education Calendar
SCLS website re-design survey now online
You’ve been asking for a re-design of the SCLS website, and now that most library websites have been migrated to Drupal we are officially embarking on the re-design of our website. And you can help!
We have created a brief survey to collect feedback from library staff members, trustees, and others who might use the SCLS website. We’re interested in what you look for most often, and what you’d like to see that either isn’t on the website, or isn’t easy to find. You can access the survey using the link above, or you can access the survey from the SCLS homepage (click on the link on the left side of the page).
Your input will help shape the final product, and to encourage your participation we’re going to have a drawing for 20 Amazon Gift cards valued at $10 each. To have your name entered in the drawing, simply complete the survey by the end of the day on Dec. 3, 2015, and be sure to provide your name and email address when you complete the survey. On Dec. 4 we’ll use a random number generator to select the 20 gift card recipients.
Thank you in advance for taking time to complete this survey.
November ‘Talk of the Town’ available
The November edition of "Talk of the Town" is now available. It features Corey Baumann, SCLS Delivery Service Coordinator, talking about the SCLS Delivery Service. (watch below)
The December edition will feature Shawn Brommer, SCLS Youth Services & Outreach Consultant, who will talk about the many types of local partnerships public libraries have with community organizations.
Oregon Public Library staff members are celebrating Laura Dewey (left) for her efforts to become certified in Serials, with cereals!
Tina Peerenboom (right) is the Youth Services Librarian at Reedsburg Public Library, taking the place of Kris Houtler who has been hired as the Library’s new Assistant Director. A native of Appleton, Tina graduated from UW-Oshkosh with a major in elementary education. She is currently finishing her Masters degree in Library and Information Science through the University of Wisconsin Madison. When asked what sparked her interest in pursuing a career in youth services in the public library, Tina said it was a natural choice for her because it combines two of her great loves -- reading and children.
The November issue of WSLL @ Your Service has been published at http://wilawlibrary.gov/newsletter/1511.html.
New titles added to SCLS Professional Collection
The following titles have been added to the SCLS Professional Collection, which is available to staff at member libraries.
- Library Management for the Digital Ageby Julie Todaro
- The Green Library Planner: What Every Librarian Needs to Know Before Starting to Build or Renovate by Mary M. Carr
- Letting Go of Legacy Services: Library Case Studies edited by Mary Evangeliste and Katherine Furlong
- Open-Access Journals: Idealism and Opportunism by Walt Crawford
- Library Linked Data in the Cloud: OCLC’s Experiments with New Models of Resource Description by Carol Jean Godby, Shenghui Wang, and Jeffrey K. Mixter
- Library Consortia: Models for Collaboration and Sustainability by Valerie Horton and Greg Pronevitz
- Start a Revolution: Stop Acting Like a Library by Ben Bizzle with Maria Flora
- Reinventing Reference: How Libraries Deliver Value in the Age of Google edited by Katie Elson Anderson and Vibiana Bowman Cvetkovic
- The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Historical Fiction by Jennifer S. Baker
- The Purpose-Based Library: Finding Your Path to Survival, Success, and Growth by John J. Huber and Steven V. Potter
- The Weeding Handbook: a Shelf-by-Shelf Guide by Rebecca Vnuk
- Technology Disaster Response and Recovery Planning edited by Mary Mallery
- Wordplay for Kids A Sourcebook of Poems, Rhymes, and Read-Alouds by Tim Wadham
- The Handbook for Storytime Programsby Judy Freeman and Caroline Feller Bauer
- Running a Small Library, 2nd edition, edited by John A. Moorman
- The Power of Play: Designing Early Learning Spaces by Dorothy Stoltz, Marisa Conner, and James Bradberry
- The Essential Lapsit Guide by Linda L. Ernst
- Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries by Amy L. Garmer, The Aspen Institute
- Mobile Devices: Service with Intention, edited by Rebecca K. Miller, Heather Moorefield-Lang, and Carolyn Meier
Sewing machine maker kits available
One of the maker kits libraries requested last year when we were preparing to apply for a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant was for sewing machines. We have finished work on three kits, and they are now available for libraries to reserve for in-library use. You can check availability on the Maker Kit web page. Libraries can reserve one, two, or all three kits at once (must reserve each separately), and the maximum loan period is seven days.
More information is available on the SCLS Programming Resources web page. Each of the three kits includes two Brother XL2600I sewing machines and miscellaneous items like bobbins, buttons, snaps, threat, etc.
Building a Better Board of Trustees
As the community face of your library, trustees are key. There are ways to capitalize on their talents and recruit new members, and an article by Maria R. Traska in the November/December issue of American Libraries is a great place to start your information search.
SCLS also has resources available on the Library Management portion of its website, as does the Division for Libraries and Technology and the American Library Association.
CE workshop to address ‘Hiring Good Organizational Citizens’
For most managers, it isn't too hard to identify our best employees. These are the staff who are not just excellent workers, they are also collegial, helpful, and proactive. But how do we screen for these characteristics before a new staff member is brought on board?
Rachel Rubin, director of the Bexley Public Library, Bexley, OH, will introduce the concept of organizational citizenship, review best practices in interviewing techniques, and provide participants with tools for hiring a high-performing staff of good organizational citizens.
The workshop will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 1-4 p.m. at Portage Public Library, immediately following the All Directors Meeting. The workshop is open to all library staff members, and requires a registration separate from that used for the All Directors Meeting.
Order Wisconsin tax forms by Dec. 11
Libraries serve residents in many ways, one of which is making Wisconsin tax forms available. Libraries should order 2015 Wisconsin income tax forms by Dec. 11, 2015.
In an effort to reduce the cost and waste associated with unused paper tax forms, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) asks that libraries not order more forms than they distributed last year. Determine your 2015 tax form needs based on how many you used last year and reduce that number if you had forms left over. Details of your 2014 library orders are available on the DOR website .
Order your 2015 Wisconsin income tax forms using the DOR library forms order system at revenue.wi.gov/governments/libraries.html. Once on the website, follow these steps:
- In the Order Forms box, select 'Forms Order System'
- Step 1: Enter complete information in the Library screen.
- Step 2: Click on 'Next', which will bring you to the Selection screen. Enter the number of forms needed in the box in front of each form type.
- Step 3: Click on 'Next', which will bring you to the Review screen.
- If your order is not correct, click on 'Previous' to correct information
- If your order is correct and you want to print a copy of your order, right click and select 'Print'
- Click on 'Place Order'
- Click on 'Print Confirmation Code' and then 'Exit Forms Ordering System'
The DOR asks libraries to encourage customers to use the following services:
- Wisconsin e-file -- it's free, secure and accurate! Each year, more Wisconsin taxpayers file their income tax returns electronically using our e-file application called Wisconsin e-file. Many taxpayers get their refunds within a week with direct deposit. Wisconsin e-file is available on the DOR website.
- Online Forms -- All Wisconsin tax forms are available on the DOR website.
If you have any questions or need assistance with placing your order, please contact Kathleen Henry at (608) 261-7601. Please submit your order by Dec. 11, 2015. Remember to sign up for the library electronic mailing list to receive important communications specifically related to libraries.
Apply now to host Thinking Money traveling exhibition
Money affects all Americans, but many of us lack the knowledge we need to make smart financial choices that will prepare us for whatever the future brings. Thinking Money strives to teach tweens, teens and their parents, caregivers and educators about financial literacy topics -- like saving, spending and avoiding fraud -- in a way that is not only understandable, but fun.
Thinking Money is a museum-quality traveling exhibition that will travel to 50 U.S. public libraries between 2016 and 2018. Through an adventure-themed storyline, interactive iPad content and other fun, hands-on activities, the exhibition explores the following themes:
- Wants vs. needs
- Earning and paying interest
- Preparing for rainy/sunny day
- Imagining your future self
- Avoiding financial fraud
- Thinking money
In addition to the traveling exhibition for a six-week loan, selected libraries will receive a $1,000 programming allowance; travel and accommodations to attend an orientation workshop at the 2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando; and more. (view the full list of benefits)
Interested in bringing Thinking Money to your library? Apply before Jan. 29, 2016, to host the exhibition. A panel of librarians and financial literacy experts will review the applications.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend one of two informational conference calls about the exhibition on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, at 12 p.m. Central Time or Wednesday Dec. 9, 2015, at 2 p.m. Central Time. To register for a conference call, please email Brian Russell with your preferred date.
Thinking Money was created by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office.
If there’s big idea promoted by The Big Read, it’s that books have the power to bring communities together and ignite conversations. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is now accepting applications for its 2016-17 grant program, which will award 75 organizations grants ranging from $5,00 to $20,000. Libraries are eligible to apply by Jan. 27, 2016.