Index
- Portage Public Library seeks new director
- Cornerstone Award nominees sought
- Teen/Tween Programming Workshop is April 11
- Dates set for 2019 OverDrive Support Courses
- Wisconsin's Digital Library updates
- Confabulation! Northlands Storytelling Network
- Wisconsin Literacy's Plain Language webinar is April 8
- PR Xchange Awards call for materials
- Continuing Education Calendar
Portage Public Library seeks new director
Portage Public Library seeks a well-organized and energetic leader to direct its operations. This position requires an MLS from an ALA-accredited university, eligibility for a Wisconsin Grade 1 publiclibrarycertification, and five years progressively responsiblelibraryexperience. Previous experience as a public library director is strongly desired.
Successful candidates will have excellent verbal and written communication skills, interest in currentlibrarytechnology, fiscal knowledge, and ability to work effectively with alibraryboard,libraryemployees, and the community.
The City of Portage, WI (Columbia County) is conveniently located 30 minutes north of Madison in Columbia County, with a population of just over 10,000. For more information about Portage, please visit the city’s website at www.portagewi.gov. Thelibrarybuilding was updated with a beautiful expansion and renovation in 2012 and is now a 24,500 square foot facility in the heart of downtown. The Portage Public Library’s collection consists of approximately 75,000 items, current annual circulation is 172,000, and it has an operating budget of $715,000.TheLibraryis a member of the South CentralLibrarySystem.
Application deadline is Thursday, March 28, 2019. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references toLibraryDirectorSearch Committee, c/o Portage Public Library, 253 W Edgewater Street, Portage, WI 53901, or email to [email protected]. The City of Portage is an EOE.
Responsibilities
The library director reports to anine-member Board of Trustees and is responsible for the overall management of the library. Essential duties include building and maintaining the collection, managing the library budget, supervising library staff, overseeing facility maintenance and improvements, liaising with library stakeholders such as city administration and volunteer library groups such as Friends of the Library and Library Foundation. The director is the public face of the library and promotes the library within the city of Portage and throughout the surrounding area. In addition, the director is the resource librarian for Columbia County. The resource librarian’s duties include providing administrative support and consultation to the Columbia County Library Systems Board, the directors of the ten other public libraries in Columbia County, and the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. A complete job description is available on the library website.
Compensation
This position is classified at Grade O on the recently updated City of Portage Compensation Matrix, which has a salary range of $63,045- $94,578. Salary will be commensurate with education and experience and includes an excellent benefits package.
Cornerstone Award nominees sought
The SCLS Foundation Board is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Cornerstone Award. This award is presented annually to a person or persons who have had a significant and long-term impact on enhancing public libraries in South Central Wisconsin and represent the values and mission of the South Central Library System Foundation.
Submit nominations by completing the online form by April 17, 2019, at 5 p.m.
Teen/Tween Programming Workshop is April 11
The 2019 Teen/Tween Programming Workshop will be held April 11 at the Wintergreen Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
During the morning session, titled “Tween & Teen Programming and Collections Beyond Books,” participants will learn about tween and teen programs at Verona Public Library with a presentation and hands-on experiences. Leah Portz and Mary Ostrander will also talk about their progress in creating special collections that encourage self-driven learning, social well-being, and content creation beyond library walls.
Following lunch, participants will explore “Patience, Persistence, & Duct Tape FTW: Lessons Learned from Programming for Teens.” Crafting successful programs for teens can be an incredibly rewarding but also an incredibly difficult process, so how do you find the inspiration and determination to keep going? Join teen librarian Linda Jerome, LaCrosse Public Library, as she shares five valuable lessons she has learned from programming for teens that will help motivate and encourage you on your teen programming journey.
Lunch, which is $12, will be a soup & sandwich buffet with a variety of sliced meats and cold salads served with assorted cheeses, breads, lettuce, tomato, condiments, and a cup of soup du jour. Vegetarian options will be available. Let Jean Anderson know of any other dietary needs.
You can register through the SCLS Continuing Education Calendar.
Dates set for 2019 OverDrive Support Courses
Jean Anderson, SCLS Continuing Education Consultant, has set dates for the 2019 OverDrive Support Courses and added them to the calendar:
- March 11 - April 12 (register)
- July 8 - August 9
- October 14 - November 15
The SCLS OverDrive Support Course is a virtual five-week course designed to help library staff provide front-line support to OverDrive users. There are no scheduled meeting times for the course, but it is paced week-to-week. Each week there is a lesson, a quiz over the material, and a mock support email to respond to. The typical time investment is 1-2 hours per week. It is expected that all coursework be completed two weeks after the course ends. Participants are required to have access to a computer and the internet to complete the coursework.
If you have questions about the course, contact Jean Anderson at 608-246-5612.
Wisconsin's Digital Library updates
Regular users of Wisconsin's Digital Library through the Libby App noticed some recent updates, including an improved wait time display. Now it's easier to see the approximate wait time for your holds by tapping on the little calendar icon. You can also watch your place in line go up, and see all the other data about the holds that you’ve placed.
Another big update was adding new Shelf tips - including one that encourages readers to return books when they're done rather than waiting for the loan to expire. The prompt appears based on the reader's progress and the number of others waiting for the title. This means the next patron will get the book earlier and, hopefully, cut down on some of the long wait times in our collection.
OverDrive updated the Loans display on Shelf page. It's easy to see how much of a book you've read or listened to with the progress bar. OverDrive also lets you know if there are others waiting for the book and prompts you to place a hold or renew a title when your expiration date is getting close.
To see other updates to Libby, visit the Libby menu on the app (Menu>Libby>What's New in Libby?).
by Jean Anderson for Tech Bits
Confabulation! Northlands Storytelling Network
The Northlands Storytelling Network, a community of storytellers and story listeners in the upper Midwest, will celebrate its annual gathering, called Confabulation!, April 26-28,2019, at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison, WI. During the day, professional presentersfromaroundthecountrywillprovideworkshopsanddiscussionsonthepractice and applications of storytelling. Offerings will be available for teachers, librarians, and storytellers at all levels of experience. Confabulation! details are available at www.northlands.net.
The 2019 featured teller is Tim Lowry. As he describes himself on his website, “Tim serves up a refreshing brew of historic facts,regionalfolktales,andpersonalnarrativesgarnishedwith poetic language that is never saccharine but unmistakably Southern.” He has won awards for his highly entertaining CDs andperformedattopvenues,includingtheNationalStorytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. Tim will present a master class, a workshop, and a Q&A session duringConfabulation!
Public story concerts by a wide variety of tellers will be featured each day. Concerts at the Pyle Center are free and appropriate for ages 14 and up. The concerts are a great way to sample some of the best storytelling in the Midwest! They are scheduled April 26from 8:30-9:30 p.m., April 27from 7-9 p.m. (featuring Tim Lowry), and April 28 from 11 a.m. until noon. A special concert of ghost stories will be held on April 26from 9:45-10:45 p.m. Plans are currently in the works for family storytelling concerts at area libraries and assemblies at local schools. If you would be interested in hosting a concert or assembly, contact Sue Searing at [email protected] or (217) 417-3591.
Wisconsin Literacy's Plain Language webinar is April 8
Wisconsin Literacy’s Plain Language Webinar focuses on the fundamentals of plain language, including the benefits of using it in your work place. Introduced in this hour-long webinar are several strategies for clear written communications such as simplifying word choice, grammar tips, active vs. passive voice, and layout and design. Attendees will be able to ask discussion questions online at the end of the presentation and will learn improved communication strategies that can be implemented immediately.
Join us for a webinar on April 08, 2019, at 10 a.m. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. You should review computer system requirements in advance of the program.
This webinar is sponsored by sponsored by the following library systems: IFLS, SCLS, SWLS, WRLS, NFLS, BLS, ALS, KCLS, LLS, MCFLS, Monarch.
PR Xchange Awards call for materials
The 2019 PR Xchange Awards Competition, sponsored by the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), a division of the American Library Association, is now open! Please submit your libraries’ promotional materials here:
These submissions are promotional pieces that are disseminated to your users "in print" or “in digital format,” so please use the appropriate link above to submit print or electronic materials. More information is available at each submission link.Submissions should be from the 2018 calendar year.
Please limit your entries tofive submissions per library. The submission deadline is April 1, 2019.