Index
- Only one week left to submit 2018 Foundation Library Award nominations
- SCLS supports local history digitization projects
- Prairie du Sac extends deadline for new director applications
- Member/Staff News
- Makerspace survey underway
- Inclusive Services Institute concludes with August session
- IMLS Library Search & Compare beta
- STEM Activity Clearinghouse needs your assistance
- Canadian public library economic impact studies available
- Continuing Education Calendar
Only one week left to submit 2018 Foundation Library Award nominations
There is only one week remaining to submit nominations for the 2018 SCLS Foundation Library Awards, to be presented during the Cornerstone Award fundraising reception on Thursday, Oct. 18, at Babe's Grill & Bar, 5614 Schroeder Road in Madison. The nominations deadline has been extended to Sept. 5 at 4 p.m. As of this week, only nine nominations have been submitted for the four library awards.
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.
- Super Awesome Library Award (1 nomination) -- 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 (4 nomination) -- 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 (3 nomination) -- 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 (1 nomination) -- 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.
Corporate sponsors for this year’s Cornerstone Award reception are Bibliotheca, First Business Bank and Hausmann-Johnson Insurance. This year’s Cornerstone Award recipient is Alice Oakey, and more information about her is available in a previous issue of Online Update.
There is no cost to attend the reception, there is no need to register, and there will be a cash bar and free refreshments. The 2017 event raised about $11,000.
SCLS supports local history digitization projects
The South Central Library System (SCLS) has services available to help member libraries with local history digitization projects. Assistance with digitization projects can include: project planning, guidance on best practices, and coordinating making the digital collections available through the Recollection Wisconsin and the Digital Public Library of America’s websites. SCLS also has digitization equipment available for libraries to use on their projects.
Digitization projects and equipment are supported by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, made available through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Support for the project is also provided by the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC), the South Central Library System Foundation, and Wisconsin Public Library System Aid through SCLS.
Information about digitization projects and details on the services that SCLS provides to support the projects are available on the Local History Digitization Projects section of the SCLS website.
There is also a Local History Digitization User Group in the works. To keep updated on information about the group, join the scls-digitization email list.
A blog post about SCLS supported digitization projects can be found on the Recollection Wisconsin website.
For additional information, contact Tamara Ramski, Digitization Specialist, at 608-242-4866.
Prairie du Sac extends deadline for new director applications
The Ruth Culver Community Library in Prairie du Sac seeks a dedicated and community-minded director with a commitment to public service and a vision for the future.
The Ruth Culver Community Library is located along the beautiful Wisconsin River in the heart of downtown Prairie du Sac in Sauk County, Wisconsin. Prairie du Sac is a vibrant community approximately 30 miles northwest of Madison. The library serves Prairie du Sac and the greater Sauk Prairie area including the Sauk Prairie School District. For more information about the community, visit the Chamber of Commerce website.
The library opened at its current location in 2012 and is next to the new Great Sauk State Trail. A member of the South Central Library System, the Ruth Culver Community Library has a staff of approximately 6.9 FTE, a collection of more than 62,000 items, and a 2018 operating budget of $490,389. An engaged Friends of the Library group provides support through volunteering and fundraising efforts.
This position requires an MLS from an ALA-accredited university and eligibility for a Grade 1 Public Library Director certification from the State of Wisconsin. Successful candidates will have good verbal and written communication skills, strong organizational skills, as well as knowledge of technology and libraries. Excellent customer service and the ability to work effectively with the Library Board, Village of Prairie du Sac, Friends of the Library, employees, donors, and the community is a must. Three years of library experience is preferred.
The Library Director reports to a seven member Board of Trustees and is responsible for the overall management of the library. Responsibilities include financial management, supervision of staff, and oversight of the library facility.
A complete position description may be found on the library’s website at www.pdslibrary.org/employment.
The minimum salary is $51,000 commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. The Village of Prairie du Sac provides a competitive package of benefits.
The application deadline has been extended until the position is filled. The committee will begin reviewing applications Sept. 10, 2018. Please submit an employment application, cover letter, resume, and three professional references to apply. Send required materials to Helen Campbell, President of the Library Board of Trustees, at [email protected] or to the Library Director Selection Committee, c/o Ruth Culver Community Library, 540 Water St., Prairie du Sac, WI 53578.
The Ruth Culver Community Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Joan Foster (at right) is the new part time director of Angie W. Cox Public Library in Pardeeville. She recently relocated to Wisconsin after retiring as a School Librarian in Houston, TX, where among other things she piloted a one-to-one device within her middle school of over 900 students. “Transitioning to Wisconsin and the public library world will be challenging, but who could pass up being able to walk two blocks to work in a lovely historical building?” Joan said. She completed her library coursework at North Texas University, and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Texas Woman’s University.
Katrina Linde-Moriarty (at left) said she is excited to be the new first-time director of Monticello Public Library. She cultivated her love for libraries at a young age and was a founding member of her library's Teen Advisory Board in her home town of Springfield, OR. Earning her Bachelor's Degree in Cultural Anthropology and History took her from her local community college to the University of Oregon and beyond for a year abroad in Scotland. From there she set her sights on earning her MLIS and was accepted to the UW-Madison, graduating in May 2017. During her studies, she worked closely with the Sauk Prairie community, first at Ruth Culver Community Library and then at Sauk City Public Library before stepping into this position. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, playing tabletop games with her friends, and planning other ways to up her nerd credentials.
As a resource for the library community, WiLS is creating a compendium of makerspaces in Wisconsin libraries. The purpose is to help facilitate the sharing of valuable information as libraries plan for, create, and improve their maker initiatives.
If you have a makerspace in your organization, large or small, please take a few minutes to share information about it in this online form to contribute what you've learned to the community.
Please feel free to share this survey with others.
Inclusive Services Institute concludes with August session
After five months of work, participants in the inaugural Inclusive Services Institute produced a self-assessment tool that will allow libraries to evaluate the inclusivity of their spaces, programming, services, and administrative operations.
The idea of the institute took root during the Inclusive Services Retreat in February 2017, where public library and regional system staff identified the need for a statement on what inclusivity means within the context of public libraries. The statement, in part, interprets Wisconsin statue (Wis. Stat. sec. 43.24(2)(k)) which addresses the “promotion and facilitation of library service to users with special needs.” The statement was released in the spring of 2017 by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and updated during the beginning of the institute to include race and ethnicity.
“Libraries provide crucial services and information, and exist as a cornerstone of so many Wisconsin communities,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers. “The passionate efforts of these library staff are important in ensuring these spaces are welcoming and accessible to all people.”
The institute -- comprised of 16 public library and regional system staff, as well as four members of the leadership team -- first convened in March for an intensive three-day conference. During this session, the participants formed teams, each dedicated to further examining specific aspects of library services through the lens of inclusion. Teams continued to work remotely, then during the Aug. 12-14 session in Madison, consolidated their work, creating the self-assessment tool as a beta version.
During both the March and August sessions, participants engaged in deep dialog and awareness building within a variety of social issues, reflecting on the many aspects of inclusivity. In the months between sessions, the teams created a series of criteria or questions to eventually be combined into the self- assessment tool.
Examples of such questions are: Does the library offer programming for diverse audiences? Are printed library program marketing materials available in alternate formats such as Braille, large print, and electronic text? Do staff understand the meanings of the various words associated with LGBTQ/gender expressions? Are spaces in the library accessible to individuals with a variety of needs and interests?
Because each team was focused on a specific aspect of inclusivity, the combined criteria will be comprehensive and deep, addressing all layers and facets of inclusivity in libraries.
“No two libraries are the same,” said Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, the public library youth and inclusive services consultant at DPI. “This tool is meant to be holistic, contextual, and dependent on library staff’s engagement within their communities.”
“It is vital that libraries approach inclusive services from multiple angles,” said Shannon Schultz, DPI’s public library administration consultant. “The director, staff, and board of trustees all play a role in making the library welcoming, safe, and respectful. It’s not solely one person’s job.”
While the tool has taken shape and will soon be disseminated as a beta version to libraries throughout the state, participants envision it will eventually be interactive and packaged with other resources, such as webinars or training programs. The participants also emphasized part of DPI’s statement on inclusivity, noting that the everyday practice of providing inclusive services requires constant reflection, dialog, and assessment with and between members of the community -- particularly those who are underserved or underrepresented -- and all levels of the library staff and administration.
The Inclusive Services Institute was funded by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services administered by the Public Library Development Team (DLT) at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The full statement on “Inclusive Services” can be found on the DLT website, as can a list of teams and participants.
IMLS Library Search & Compare beta
by Jody Hoesly
SCLS Data Services Consultant
Want to compare your library with other libraries in your state or other states? If so, check-out the Library Search & Compare beta website from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
I was interested in comparing just libraries in Wisconsin, so I limited my search by State = WI and then selected Compare Libraries.
You can also limit your results by total circulation, revenue, staff, and/or service area population ranges (max/min), and even further refine your results by variables related to topics listed in a drop-down menu.
The dataset can be downloaded to a .csv at any time. Try it and be sure to send feedback if you have ideas on how to make the site better. For example, I recommended that library size -- square footage -- be included.
More information is available in TechBits.
STEM Activity Clearinghouse needs your assistance
The STEM Activity Clearinghouse at STAR_Net (Science-Technology Activities and Resources for Libraries) needs reviewers!If you’d like to help out by prototyping an activity, STAR_Net can provide a STEM activity enhancement for your library to keep.
In the STEM Activity Clearinghouse, librarians and library staff can find high quality, vetted STEM activities that are appropriate for library use. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
You can search by audience, content level, and difficulty, among others. You can also browse collections that we've curated just for you! Almost all the activities in the Clearinghouse have pictures or videos of real libraries doing these activities. Activities developed outside the STAR_Net Project will include tips and tricks for implementing in your library, and will link you back to the original source content so you can explore more.
For more information about serving as a STEM reviewer, contact [email protected].
If you’ve facilitated activities from the Clearinghouse in the past, please take the time to leave a review -- it helps other librarians find the right activity.
STAR_Net is a production of the Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) in collaboration with the American Library Association, the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and the Afterschool Alliance. Major funding is provided by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the National Institutes of Health (SEPA).
Canadian public library economic impact studies available
Since 2013, when Toronto Public Library published "So Much More: The Economic Impact of Toronto Public Library on the City of Toronto," 14 additional Canadian public libraries have applied the same methodology to estimate their economic impact. The Library Research Network (LRN) keeps track of these studies -- and now, there's a comprehensive list, all on one page.
The List provides an at-a-glance look at Canadian studies to date, and provides context by including, for each system, the population served, the number of branches, and the dollar amount returned for each dollar invested. Also included is a link to Ottawa Public Library's ready-to-use spreadsheetcontaining the calculations used in the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) model.
Finally, there's a one-page backgrounder on the cost-benefit analysis model to provide further context and explanation on how to interpret study findings and communicate them to stakeholders.