Index
- Registration open for 2018 Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference
- Wisconsin’s Digital Library challenges readers to try digital
- Monticello Public Library seeks new director
- Tech Gratefulness
- Member/Staff News
- Continuing Education Calendar
Registration open for 2018 Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference
Registration is open for the Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference 2018, scheduled Jan. 23-25. The Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference is a statewide virtual conference developed by the Nicolet Federated Library System and co-sponsored by all other Wisconsin library systems.
A series of 60-minute web presentations focusing on public libraries will be presented each day from speakers all over the country, so attend what you want -- one...four...eighth…or all 19!
The online conference opens on Jan. 23 with keynote speaker Carolyn Brewer addressing “Librarians and Bartenders: Why People Need Us.” The Jan. 24 program features 10 online presentations on a variety of topics, and another eight presentations will be offered on Jan. 25.
More information and registration links are available on the conference website.
Wisconsin’s Digital Library challenges readers to try digital
Wisconsin’s Digital Library is on a mission: Get more people to try digital reading! While it has offered ebooks and digital audiobooks statewide through its partnership with OverDrive for 12 years, many people are still surprised to learn their library card gives them access to over 71,000 free digital titles.
Throughout the rest of this year, Wisconsin’s Digital Library is participating in OverDrive’s “Digital Dash” contest. If Wisconsin hits 4,347,351 digital checkouts by the end of the year, Wisconsin’s Digital Library will be eligible to win additional funds to buy more ebooks and audiobooks for its OverDrive collection.
Expansion of the digital collection with new materials would reduce hold times by buying more copies of our most popular titles.
The library’s digital books are free for anyone with a valid library card. Current popular titles include Small Great Things, The Zookeeper’s Wife, and The Whistler. Users can borrow bestsellers and classic ebooks and digital audiobooks to enjoy on smart phones, tablets, Kindles and other eReaders, MP3 players, and computers. Wisconsin’s Digital Library also offers a dedicated space for younger readers, with a variety of juvenile and young adult titles. There are never late fees with digital titles, as they return automatically at the end of the lending period.
Readers can access this digital collection 24/7 by visiting https://wplc.overdrive.com or by downloading the Libby app from their device’s app store.
To help reach this goal, public libraries have access to the following resources to help boost usage of Wisconsin's Digital Library:
- A custom graphic with the Digital Dash goal number that you can share to social media and websites and link to Wisconsin's Digital Library (https://wplc.overdrive.com) (contact Mark Ibach)
- A press release template for you to personalize and distribute to local media to raise awareness of the goal or adapt for use in a library newsletter or email blast (contact Mark Ibach)
- OverDrive's Best Practices Guide with a few simple reminders of what you can do to maximize circulation
- A holiday marketing kit with a ton of themed graphics to use on social media posts or use on website homepages and ideas for programming. Download the zipped file at http://resources.overdrive.com/library/marketing-outreach/
- A cool counter to watch us get closer to our goal in real time!
Monticello Public Library seeks new director
The Monticello Public Library Board seeks a dynamic, community minded Director with a vision for the future. The successful candidate must be able to enhance the library and its role as an integral component of the community. The Library Director plans, organizes, directs, and controls all functions, operations, and activities of the Library, either directly or through senior management staff. This position is hired by and reports to a five-member Library Board of Trustees. (WI Statues 43.58 (4).
The Village of Monticello is located in Green County and is 30 miles south of Madison, with a population of 1,217 (2010 Census). Monticello is a rural community known for its local charm, cherry blossoms, cheese factories, and bike trails. The library is a member of the South Central Library System (winning SCLS Library of the Year, 1999), with an active Friends group. The library is in a newly decorated 2,994 square foot building with a service population of 3,000. There is a staff of 2.49 FTE.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to
- Overall administration of the library
- Supervision, motivation and inspiration of staff
- Financial management, fundraising, grant writing and donor development
- Strategic planning, programming, outreach and community relations
- Oversight of facility including potential building projects
- Advocacy of the interest of the library before government and various groups and organizations
Minimum qualifications
- Hold or be eligible for Grade 3 library certification [54 credit hours at an accredited college, university or technical college, half of which must be in the liberal arts and science; additional three semester credits of coursework or the equivalent on public library administration, selection of all types of library materials, organization of library materials and provision of reference and information services]. Provisional and temporary certification may be granted under certain circumstances.
- A bachelor’s degree from a college or university is preferred.
Salary and benefits
Salary range is $36,000-$40,000 dependent on education and qualifications, plus a competitive benefit package which includes Wisconsin State Retirement System.
A complete job description and an application form may be obtained at the library, or on the library’s website, www.monticellopubliclibrary.org/employment-opportunities-1. Specifically address how you meet the qualifications of the positions in your cover letter, and send it along with completed job application and resume by Jan. 2, 2018, to Anne Schultz, Monticello Library Board President, PO Box 149, Monticello, Wisconsin 53570 or email them to [email protected].
The Village of Monticello is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
With the Thanksgiving holiday just past, I have been reflecting on what an amazing year this has been for SCLS and the various ways we use technology to help our members provide the best possible service to their public. The Technology Team, the ILS Team and the rest of the staff at SCLS this year have all had a hand in bringing forth new and/or improved services for our member libraries. Here are just a few for which I am grateful.
- New Data dashboard featuring SCLS member library Fast Facts and Visits Per Capita Comparisons
- New web site hosted in Drupal (I love the new information slides!)
- Support for SCLS member libraries to create a digitization plan, digitize their collections and make them accessible in Recollection Wisconsin (4 libraries participating so far due to LSTA grant funds)
- The Indus 9000 scanner purchased with LSTA funds which allows member libraries to digitize books and other larger items
- Nearly $25,000 in FCC E-rate grant funds received for participating libraries
- Five new or newish staff who are bringing great ideas to SCLS
- Top notch support staff who keep our systems safe and up-to-date (like with the recent Krack threat)
- An upgrade from 1 Gig to 10 Gig for our SCLS core network to accommodate the future increased Internet capacity for participating member libraries
- Updated wireless laptop labs (we update one out of three each year)
- The updated and much easier to use Evanced calendaring software used to create the SCLS calendar
- Support for increased Internet bandwidth for Badgernet libraries
- Using Google forms to more easily collect comparative data for the ILS Evaluation
- Mobile circulation kits including hot spots
Each of the above projects had multiple people involved, often from different SCLS departments. I am most grateful for the wonderful staff we have at SCLS! Not only do they come up with new and improved service ideas, they pitch in where needed to implement them.
--by Vicki Teal Lovely for TechBits
The December issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. As always, your comments are welcome. Please direct them to the editor, Carol Hassler. This issue includes: Upcoming Events; Protect Yourself from Identity Theft; New Books; Tech Tip; After Hours Signup Starts Now; Library News; and December Snapshot.