Index
- Nominate your library for 2018 SCLS Foundation awards
- Register now for ‘Trustee Training Week’, Aug. 13-17, 2018
- Serving homeless patrons will be the focus of August workshops
- Member/Staff News
- Next OverDrive Support Course starts July 16
- Short Takes for Trustees includes bonus webinars
- Google My Business
- Pew Research Center releases new study on Teens, Social Media & Technology
- Continuing Education Calendar
Nominate your library for 2018 SCLS Foundation awards
To help celebrate the innovative and important work public libraries do every day, the South Central Library System (SCLS) Foundation will again present four library awards as part of the 2018 Cornerstone Award fundraising reception.
This year's award recipient is Alice Oakey (right), who recently retired as the supervisor of Madison Public Library's Meadowridge Library.The Cornerstone Award Reception will be held Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, at Babe's Grill & Bar, 5614 Schroeder Road in Madison. First Business Bank and Hausmann-Johnson Insurance have already committed to be corporate sponsors for the awards reception.
There is no cost to attend the reception, and there will be a cash bar and free refreshments. The 2017 event raised about $11,000.
Library staff members, trustees, friends, or residents can nominate their library for any of the awards, which are described below. To make an online nomination for one of the four library awards, simply click on the award name. All nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, 2018.
- Super Awesome Library Award -- For the library that was overall awesome in 2018. Maybe they handled a tough situation with grace. Or took a new approach. Or found a lot of money under a rock and did something really cool with it. Or got a lot of local support and kudos because they play well with others. Or are just plain super awesome every day.
- Program Wizard Award -- For a super creative, innovative and fun library program created by library staff. In the library or out. For babies or seniors or anyone in between. A one-off or a regular series. If Dumbledore thinks it's worthy of Wizard status, nominate it!
- Giddy Up Partner Award -- For those strong community partnerships that add value to the library and the community as a whole. It takes two, baby! Or three... or four. Nominate the library and its partner(s) and describe the amazing stuff they’re doing together.
- Outstanding Library Volunteer Award -- To recognize that outstanding volunteer who is instrumental in making your library what it is. This new award is presented annually to an individual who through their contributions has had a significant impact on library service in a single community.
Register now for ‘Trustee Training Week’, Aug. 13-17, 2018
Registration is now open for Wisconsin Trustee Training Week, which will be held Aug. 13-17, 2018. There will be one webinar each day from noon-1 p.m. on a topic that’s relevant to public library boards, friends, and trustees. Webinars are available free of charge, and open to anyone.
The schedule of presentations is as follows:
- Monday, Aug. 13 -- Orientation for New Library Board Trustees will feature Krista Ross, Executive Director of SELCO, Rochester, MN, who will simplify the process of orientating new trustees. A few basic principles to know and understand will enable new trustees to hit the ground running, be effective early, and set the tone for continuous learning of all the information they need to know to represent their library or system in an efficient manner. (register)
- Tuesday, Aug. 14 -- Effective Boards Have Effective Meetings! will feature Christine Hage, Director, Rochester Hills Public Library Division Councilor, United for Libraries. Meetings may sound boring to some but in fact, they are the best place to discuss your library's policies, how busy the library is, and how well the library is meeting its goals. Surprisingly, many boards do not function well. There may be a bully on board, someone might dominate the conversations, or there might just be plain personality clashes. Christine will show you how to resolve any issues you may have and how to prevent them from happening in the first place. (register)
- Wednesday, Aug. 15 -- From Advocate to Activist will feature Patrick "PC" Sweeney, Political Director for EveryLibrary and a Lecturer for San Jose State University iSchool. He will challenge the traditional model of advocacy for libraries and instead look at how we create activists for libraries to build the public support we need to survive. He’ll look at how our current advocacy model is failing libraries and causing massive defunding and closures and we’ll explore many of the strategies and tactics used by some of the best community organizers, political action committees, and politicians to build real actionable support from networks of change through community organizing and political action. He will also emphasize the resources and skills that librarians and library staff need to develop if they want to have the political and community support that they need in order to increase support and funding. (register)
- Thursday, Aug. 16 -- Wisconsin Public Library Standards, 6th Edition for Trustees will feature Shannon Schultz, Public Library Administration Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. After an exhaustive two-year process, the DPI's Public Library Development Team has released the 6th edition of the WI Public Library Standards. Utilizing a work group of more than 30 library directors, trustees, and system staff from all regions of the state, the team has radically changed the layout and structure of the Standards, including a new approach to the quantitative values. Shannon will explore and explain the challenges, including those pertaining specifically to public library trustees. (register)
- Friday, Aug. 17 -- Crafting Your Library's Story with Data will feature Jody Hoesly, Data Services Consultant, South Central Library System. Libraries collect and generate a lot of data. How do we use that data along with data from other sources like the U.S. Census to tell our library’s stories? In this webinar, Jody will help you learn to craft questions that can be supported by data to support library services or initiatives, identify and access relevant datasets, and recognize available visualization tools. The heart of the presentation will focus on stories and how you can combine questions with visual data to craft your library’s story. (register)
You must register for each webinar individually at www.wistrusteetraining.com/. More information is also available at that link, and you can also access recordings from the 2015-17 webinars.
Trustee Training Week is sponsored by the South Central Library System, with financial support from other Wisconsin Public Library Systems, plus the Division for Libraries and Technology and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Recordings of SCLS Continuing Education webinars are available on the SCLS website at http://scls.typepad.com/programs/.
Serving homeless patrons will be the focus of August workshops
On Aug. 22 and 23, Ryan Dowd will visit the South Central Library System for two programs on the topic of Practical Tips for Difficult Homeless Patrons.
Ryan will do a six-hour workshop on Aug. 22 at Olbrich Gardens in Madison (register) and another at the Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library on Aug.23 (register).
Each one-day interactive training workshop is part “how to understand your homeless patrons” and part “how to work with difficult patrons.” Each workshop focuses on very practical tools you can use every day to resolve problems and prevent conflict (e.g. how to stand, what to say, what not to say, etc.). There will be a special focus on patrons with mental health and substance abuse issues.
In addition to the in-person workshops in Madison and Marshfield, Ryan has an online training program called “Practical Tips for Difficult Homeless Patrons,” which 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, received individual email invitations with a temporary password. If you are interested and aren’t able to create an account, please contact Jean Anderson at 608-246-5613 or [email protected].
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 Jean.
The June issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. As always, your comments are welcome. Please direct them to the editor, Carol Hassler. In this issue:Criminal Law Research Guides-- The annual Wisconsin Court System Criminal Law & Sentencing Institute took place in early May. Librarians created several research guides for attendees (read more); Bar Association Meeting Programs-- We’re ready to speak at your next bar association meeting! Julie Tessmer, State Law Librarian, will present information about the library’s services and the materials which we provide for practicing attorneys (read more); New Books-- Our featured new resources this month are 2017 Tax Legislation: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and Renters’ Rights. Check our new book list for more new titles (read more); Tech Tip -- All drivers are aware of texting while driving laws. One way to avoid the temptation of using your phone while driving is to install an app that handles incoming calls and texts (read more); Library News-- Get information about Law Day in Dane County, staff news, and Fourth of July library closures (read more); June Snapshot-- Our new microfiche scanner is ready to use! Use it to scan, then email or save copies from microfiche or microfilm (read more).
Next OverDrive Support Course starts July 16
The next OverDrive Support Course will begin on July 16 and continue through Aug. 17. Registration is open and limited to 15 participants. All course materials are online and can be reviewed at your convenience. There will be weekly readings, quizzes, and email questions. While the course is online, it is interactive.
Participants will receive weekly email questions from ‘pretend’ patrons and have to respond to their support request as if it were a real request.
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.
by Kerri Hilbelink in TechBits
How do people find information about your library? I bet you think a lot about what you put on your website, but have you thought about the accuracy of information when people try to look up your library from a mobile device and Google steps in with results?
I find that I often rely on the Google listing for a business, rather than navigating to the business' website and trying to find information there (especially for hours, address, directions, phone number, and reviews).
Google My Business is a free listing service created by Google in 2014, and your library most likely already has a GMB page. It's an excellent idea to 1) claim it if you haven't already, and 2) verify/update the information on it. Information that administrators can add/edit includes library hours, description of your library, map pin/location, URL, phone number, organization type, and photographs. The built-in analytics can give you a good idea of how patrons found the listing, and what actions they took (did they call you? did they click over to your website?).
This Computers In Libraries article, "How to Create a Google My Business Page" covers why and how to take control of your Google My Business page and is definitely worth a read!
Pew Research Center releases new study on Teens, Social Media & Technology
by Monica Anderson & JingJing Jiang
YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular online platforms among teens. Fully 95 percent of teens have access to a smartphone, and 45 percent say they are online “almost constantly.”
Until recently, Facebook had dominated the social media landscape among America’s youth -- but it is no longer the most popular online platform among teens, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Today, roughly half (51 percent) of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 say they use Facebook, notably lower than the shares who use YouTube, Instagram or Snapchat.
This shift in teens’ social media use is just one example of how the technology landscape for young people has evolved since the Center’s last survey of teens and technology use in 2014-2015. Most notably, smartphone ownership has become a nearly ubiquitous element of teen life: 95 percent of teens now report they have a smartphone or access to one. These mobile connections are in turn fueling more-persistent online activities: 45 percent of teens now say they are online on a near-constant basis.
The survey also finds there is no clear consensus among teens about the effect that social media has on the lives of young people today. Minorities of teens describe that effect as mostly positive (31 percent) or mostly negative (24 percent), but the largest share (45 percent) says that effect has been neither positive nor negative.
Read more on the Pew Research Center website, or download the complete report.