Index
- Serving homeless patrons will be the focus of August workshops
- Short Takes for Trustees includes bonus webinars
- There’s something about libraries
- Oregon Public Library seeks new director
- Member/Staff News
- Continuing Education Calendar
Serving homeless patrons will be the focus of August workshops
by Jean Anderson, SCLS Continuing Education Consultant
Last fall, I attended Ryan Dowd’s program at the Wisconsin Library Association Conference called Practical Tips for Difficult Homeless Patrons. It was an excellent workshop and I wanted to bring Ryan and his training to SCLS.
We’re doing that two ways in 2018. First, we have Ryan Dowd coming to do a six-hour workshop on Aug. 22 at Olbrich Gardens in Madison and at the Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library on Aug.23. Save the dates! More information and registration to come later this year.
Second, Ryan has an online training program, Practical Tips for Difficult Homeless Patrons, that covers much of the same content in a video format. SCLS has purchased access to this training for 2018.
The training is hosted on Niche Academy, and when you access our Academy, select the How to Enroll in the Homelessness Training. Most library staff will be able to create an account and start the tutorials. A few libraries and their staff, Albany, Arpin, Monticello, Pittsville, Vesper, Verona, and Fitchburg, will receive individual email invitations with a temporary password. If you are interested and aren’t able to create an account, please let me know so I can send you an invitation.
For library directors, completing this training, including the Completion Quiz, will count as three (3) hours of CE credit.
If you have any trouble accessing the training, please contact me at [email protected].
Short Takes for Trustees includes bonus webinars
SCLS renewed its subscription to the Short Takes for Trustees webinar series. These webinars are 8-10 minutes long and cover a variety of topics including Library Advocacy, Library Policies, and Strategic Planning. An email with the login and password was sent to all SCLS Directors. Please contact Jean at [email protected] if you need help.
In addition to these videos, SCLS has added three recorded webinars for 2018. They are:
- Troubled Library Boards: Prevention & Survival -- Troubled library boards are increasingly common. Serving on a troubled board is stressful, and it can take the focus away from a board’s primary mission. What essential practices can prevent or minimize board problems? When a board does become dysfunctional, how can those involved survive and create change?
- With Friends Like These -- Friends are wonderful assets to their libraries... until they're not! Sadly, some Friends groups fall into cliques, start demanding to determine how the money is spent, start believing that they "own" the money raised rather than understanding their role as "trustees" of the money, and even start wanting a say in the library’s governance and/or operations. Based on her recently published book, The Good, the Great, and the Unfriendly: A Librarian's Guide to Working Effectively with Friends, Sally Gardner Reed discusses ways to work with Friends who go rogue, how to bring them back in line, and what to do when nothing works.
- Merging Your Library’s Friends Group and Foundation -- In the library world today, there is a huge need for support organizations -- Friends and Foundations -- but often the lines between these two groups are blurred and their work counter-productive. In this webinar, presenters Peter Pearson and Sue Hall discuss the difference in the roles of Friends and foundations and identify areas where there can be conflict -- and present strategies for minimizing conflict. They also address the question, “When is it time for the two organizations to merge?” and share solutions for engaging in a merger process that minimizes pain and maximizes potential. Pearson and Hall also talk about national challenges and trends for Friends and foundations.
For library directors, each of the webinars counts for one (1) CE hour in Category C.
Short Takes is now available to all library Trustees and staff in the South Central Library System. Use the login and password available from your library director.
There’s something about libraries
What is it about libraries? Why do they conjure up positive images in just about everyone’s mind? Is it the presence of the latest books, news, and quality internet access? Or is it the librarian, who seems to know everything about everything? Or is it the atmosphere; quiet and thoughtful and at the same time crackling with ideas?
Jerry Deschane, executive director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, leads off the February 2018 issue of The Municipality which features public libraries. The edition includes articles by Plumer Lovelace, executive director of the Wisconsin Library Association, Ralph Illick, director of the Marathon County Public Library and Chair of the System and Resource Library Administrators Association of Wisconsin (SRLAAW), and John DeBacher, Public Library Development Director in the Division for Libraries and Technology at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. This month’s legal section reviews Chapter 43 and the authority and autonomy of library boards.
The issue also features comments from Twitter and Facebook answering the question “What do you love about your library.”
You can read the entire issue on the League of Wisconsin Municipalities website.
Oregon Public Library seeks new director
The Oregon Public Library seeks a dynamic, community-minded Director with vision for the future. The successful candidate must be able to enhance the library and its role as an integral component of the community, and provide leadership of a building project in the developmental stage.
Oregon is an established community in Dane County, located 7 miles south of Madison, the State Capital. Oregon’s 2017 population was 9,917, and the library serves an estimated service population of 16,464. The centrally located library is 10,500 square feet. The 2018 operating budget is $833,019, with 10.98 FTE staff. The library enjoys great local support including an active Friends Group. Circulation in 2016 was 264,949. The library is a member of the LINK automation consortium with 46 other members of the South Central Library System.
The Oregon Public Library partners with the Oregon School District on many projects. The local school district boundaries include the Villages of Oregon and Brooklyn, Towns of Oregon, Dunn, Rutland, Montrose, Blooming Grove, Union and Rock, and the City of Fitchburg. The Oregon School District serves over 4,000 students and is expected to grow by 2,000 students by the year 2030.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Overall administration of the library
- Supervision, motivation and inspiration of staff
- Financial management including fundraising, grant writing and donor development
- Strategic planning, programming, outreach and community relations
- Oversight of facility, including a building project in the developmental stage
- Advocacy of the library before government and various groups and organizations
Minimum qualifications: Masters in Library Science from ALA-accredited institution; preferred 3 or more years library experience; personnel and supervisory experience. Successful candidates will have excellent verbal and written communication skills; knowledge of current library technology; fiscal management knowledge; the ability to work effectively with library board, library employees, Village of Oregon and Oregon School District officials and the community.
Salary and benefits: Minimum salary is $65,536, plus a competitive benefit package.
Application deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. A complete job description and a Village of Oregon Employment Application form are available on the Oregon Public Library website: http://www.oregonpubliclibrary.org/employment. Please send a completed Village of Oregon employment application, cover letter, resume and three professional references to Dr. Brian Busler, Oregon Public Library Search Committee at [email protected].
The Village of Oregon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants with a disability may request accommodations needed in the application and/or interview process.
Mary Davidson (at right) was recently asked by the Oregon Library Board to add the role of Interim Director to her responsibilities. Mary has been employed at Oregon for 31 years, the majority of which has been spent in Technical Services. The Library Board hopes to have a new Director in place in four months. Meanwhile, Mary said she is extremely grateful for assistance from Alicia Fisher, Kelly Allen, Kara Ripley, and the entire staff as they continue to support the vision of the library as a welcoming and safe gathering place.
The February issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. In this issue: 2017 Year in Review -- Our librarians are information providers, educators, research experts, and collectors. Learn about how we helped you this year! Read more; Milwaukee County Law Library Year in Review -- We update you on staffing changes, new services, classes, and our work with legal clinics. Read more; Dane County Law Library Year in Review -- We update you on our work with legal clinics and our 2017 programs. Read more; New Books -- Stand Up to the IRS and Wisconsin and the Shaping of American Law are our two featured titles this month. As always, don't miss our new book list. Read more; Start Here: A Guide to Tax Law Research -- Just in time for tax season, download our updated tax law guide today! Read more; Library News -- Learn about new library staff and free CLE classes in February. Read more; February Snapshot -- Book spine poetry is the art of stacking books to convey an idea that is usually entirely unrelated to the books' contents. Read more.